Where Is Your Boy Tonight? A Love Triangle Story
by Ibitz
Summary: Love can be confusing. Is it possible to love with more than one person? Haruhi finds herself in a tough situation when things between her and Tamaki become rocky. Seeing it as a chance to win Haruhi over, the twins decide to pursue her. Things only become more difficult after that. What happens when you can't decide and mistakes occur, leading to serious consequences? {Re-edited}
1. Dead On Arrival

A troubled expression forms upon her face and Tamaki feels his heart drop. "Did I do something wrong? You don't seem as happy as I thought you'd be."

Haruhi grips her hands tightly into fists. "I don't know what's gotten into me lately."

Leaning down to kiss her, Tamaki grimaces as she twists away from him to avoid the kiss.

She stares at him with remorseful eyes. "I really love you and respect you, but I don't know if I'm _in_ love with you anymore."

Tears slowly form in his eyes. "What're you trying to say?"

"I did some thinking while I was gone," she says, "I'm not sure how I feel about us anymore. I want to take a break for now."

Haruhi Fujioka stares down at her phone with a lack of interest as it buzzes wildly in her hand. Text messages keep flashing upon the screen in short intervals. All of them from Tamaki. Sighing, she silences her phone and shoves it in her pocket.

Sitting there on the plane, she prepares herself for what she's about to do. It had been a year since her and Tamaki had officially declared themselves a couple. Things had started out smoothly, with the both of them enjoying their time together. Love had been new to them, so of course everything they did was fun and exciting.

But, as the time for Haruhi to leave for America had drawn nearer and they started growing more comfortable in their relationship, things started to die down. Her heart didn't skip with every smile or glance; her skin didn't tingle as much as it used to with every kiss. The general euphoria died down and she had started seeing him again as she used to- her lovable idiot of a friend.

Exhaling slowly, Haruhi lays back in her seat and closes her eyes. She had been pondering whether it would be right to remain in the relationship in hopes that her feelings would come back or if it would be better if they took a break. Despite hating the idea of breaking his heart, she just couldn't stop thinking of the latter.

During her time in Boston, she had toyed with the idea of telling him over the phone and leaving it at that so she could return home to begin anew. However, guilt got the better of her quickly and she decided against it. It felt like a cowardly way to break up with someone. He was a good friend so it would be wrong of her to end their relationship in such an insulting way. Tamaki deserved better than that.

Her seat rattles and she flicks her eyes open, staring at her reflection in the window. Small worry lines stretch across her forehead, proof of the many sleepless nights she had spent thinking about her decision. Gathering her things, Haruhi reluctantly makes her way through the aisle towards the exit.

Cries of joy reach her ears as she spies a large crowd of family, friends, and classmates waiting for her at the end of the walkway. She catches sight of the older hosts, quickly averting her eyes as she see the happiness upon Tamaki's face; happiness that she knows she's about to erase.

"Oh, my baby girl, I missed you so much!" Ranka cries, picking his daughter up and swinging her through the air.

"I'm happy to be home, dad." She says, acknowledging the group of guests standing nearby.

Everyone greets her excitedly as they pull her into the center, exchanging hugs and pats with her. Standing off to the side, two identical brothers watch on with satisfied grins. Having spent a year without their toy, they were glad to have her back.

"Huru-chan, welcome home!" Honey giggles, pulling on her arm excitedly.

Beside him stands his fiancee, Reiko, a young girl he had begun dating while Haruhi was away in Boston. She nods in acknowledgment at Reiko who smiles bashfully before hiding her face behind her bangs. Taking a step back to turn to the others, Haruhi accidentally bumps into Mori who pats her on the head before messing up her hair in greeting. A feeling of contentment washes over her at his touch, reminding her of the old times and helping her relax for just a moment.

"I take it your studies went well, Haruhi?" comes the voice of Kyoya, bringing her back to the present. Turning around, Haruhi spots Kyoya standing beside a dog-like Tamaki who practically wags his tail with excitement.

Haruhi nods her head yes, to which Kyoya instantly pulls out a pocket notebook and begins jotting down something. Rolling her eyes at his actions, she turns to flash a smile of acknowledgment at Tamaki. His puppy dog eyes gloss over as he tries to hold back his tears of joy.

She pats him upon the shoulder as he tries to pull her into a half-hug, turning her attention to the others to delay facing him. Haruhi animatedly talks to some of the host club clients that came to see her, thanking them all for giving her a warm welcome. Her good friend Mei takes her by surprise and grabs her into a headlock, messing up her hair.

"Took ya long enough to come home." Mei barks at her before pulling away to hook her arm around the arm of a familiar red-head.

Haruhi's eyes open wide and she smirks at Mei knowingly, remembering that Mei had vaguely said something about dating a new guy. Kasanoda turns bright red from embarrassment and waves at Haruhi.

"H-hey, Haruhi," he mumbles, "welcome home."

"It's good to be home." Haruhi says with a smile, feeling Tamaki yanking at her arm for attention. She takes a deep breath and turns to face him, feeling anxious about what she needs to do.

With a heavy heart she gives him a half-hearted smile. "It's good to see you too, senpai. Mind if we talked alone?"

Tamaki sits upon the ground cuddling into the far corner. He hugs his knees as he rocks himself gently. His face bright red and tear-streaked, he doesn't seem to notice any of the people around him or the weird looks they give him.

Squeezing his knees for comfort, he replays his discussion with Haruhi in his head. He's glad that she still loves him and will always be his friend, but he wishes he knew what it was that made her decide to end things. As far as he knew, things were going great between them. What was it that changed and can he fix things between them or will everything be awkward from now on?

He lets out a shaky sigh, trying to compose himself after all the horrible sobbing he had done in front of Haruhi and the others. She had tried to comfort him, but he refused to face her and let her see him break down. He had to be strong for her. After all, it clearly took a lot out of her in order for her to tell him how she felt. That's why he had told her to take her time to figure out how she feels and to not worry about him, and that if she finds she still loves him then he will be there waiting for her.

Deep in thoughts of a future where he and Haruhi are together again, he doesn't seem to notice two identical boys approaching him.

"Found you, Boss!" They say in sync, taking a stand before him.

"Hey, Hikaru. Hey, Kaoru. Looks like you guys found me." Tamaki looks up at them with a small smile.

"Might wanna work on your hide 'n seek skills." Kaoru jokes.

Hikaru looks down at him and sighs. "Mind if we sit?"

Sharing a frown with each other, they hesitantly sit upon their knees on either side of Tamaki. The bathroom floor slightly repulses them as they try their best not to touch it. They adjust themselves, feeling awkward after having just reveled in the break up news not more than a few moments ago.

"We're happy you're home, Haruhi." Hikaru says, his brown bangs falling into his eyes as he looks down at her.

"Do you wanna talk about what just happened?" Kaoru says with a strained smile, "We're all ears."

Haruhi blinks up at them before slowly refusing them with a shake of her head. "I think I'm just gonna head home. It was great to see you guys, today. Thanks for the welcome."

Removing their hands from her shoulders, Haruhi quietly exhales as she makes her way over to the group of guests. Shaking hands and thanking them for making an appearance, she bids them goodbye before taking her leave. The group begins to disperse behind her, returning to wherever they came from.

The twins clasp each other's hands, watching as she walks away from them. Despite wanting to remain independent from each other, this new turn of events seems to have brought out old emotions in them. They find themselves clinging to one-another for support like they used to do in the past. Hikaru swallows a nervous knot as he watches Haruhi dash across the runway as if trying to escape. Beside him, Kaoru bites his lip as he watches their first love disappear into the airport.

The twins had tried their best not to eavesdrop on the conversation between Tamaki and Haruhi, but they couldn't help themselves. At the words "take a break", both of them felt their hearts constrict. They had once harbored deep feelings for Haruhi, but due to rejection and fear of losing one-another, they had kept their feelings in check. They still loved her and always would, but they never wanted to come between their friends. So, as good friends do, they supported them the best that they could, even at the expense of their own heartbreak.

Now that the two of them weren't together, it was hard for them not to think about the past. With Tamaki out of the picture, they both had a chance to try to win Haruhi over. But was it out of line for them to feel that way? Sure there wasn't anything wrong with them being happy to have a chance at being with the girl they love. However, the fact that it had come at the cost of both of their friends being heartbroken caused them to question whether they should even bother or just let the past remain the past.

Hikaru stares sideways at his brother and sighs as his heart starts to ache. Haruhi had told him they were always just going to be friends. Would it be worth it if he tried to pursue her or would it simply lead to heartbreak again? After all, there was no way he'd ever win against Tono.

Kaoru returns the stare, frowning as he notices the sadness on his brother's face. He harbored feelings for Haruhi, but had given up in order for his brother to pursue her. She had turned his brother down, which broke his heart more than him giving up on her had. He wouldn't mind trying to pursue her this time, but what would Hikaru think? And, would Haruhi even consider him or would she just go running back to Tamaki?

As they lose themselves to their thoughts, Kyoya approaches them and takes a stand in front of them. He pushes up his glasses and coughs firmly to get their attention.

"Are you two going to stand there staring at nothing all day or are you going to help us find Tamaki?" He says while glaring at them over his glasses "The break up is sad and all, but we cannot let that distract us from planning Haruhi's welcome back party for tomorrow."

"Oh. So, they _are_ broken up." Kaoru mumbles out loud to himself.

"Where do you think he went?" Hikaru shakes his brother's shoulder, trying to bring him back to the present. Kaoru's eyes flutter rapidly and he pushes away his thoughts, turning his attention to Kyoya.

"Probably some corner where he can cultivate mushrooms and brood." Kyoya says as he crosses his arms against his chest impatiently. Honey, Mori, and Reiko head over to join the three of them.

"We should probably find Tama-Chan before he wanders off somewhere and gets lost." Honey says, which Reiko nods in agreement with. Kyoya clears his throat and claps his hands together, signalling for them all to head out.

"I guess you guys saw what happened, huh?" Tamaki mumbles, averting his eyes to the ground.

"We're really sorry it turned out that way." Hikaru says, scratching his head nervously as the air between them starts to grow awkward.

The three of them look anywhere but at each other, sitting in silence upon the bathroom floor.

Hikaru chews on his lip as he thinks about the day's events. Sitting there and trying to comfort Tamaki makes him feel like a two-timing bastard, seeing as he had just felt giddy about the breakup.

Kaoru crosses his hands upon his lap, his heart beating nervously in his chest. Seeing Tamaki crying makes him sad, but at the same time he was happy that he had a chance to go after Haruhi again. He lets out a quiet sigh, feeling like a bad friend.

The twins await a response as several men head in and out of the bathroom going about their own business. They flash the kids odd looks as they come and go. Tamaki notices this and smiles in amusement. He breaks the silence, chuckling quietly. Both boys draw their attention to him, shocked by his unexpected laughter.

"It's kinda funny that we're just lounging here in the bathroom, huh?" His eyes lighting up as he stares at his two friends.

"Not exactly the first thought that pops into my mind when I think of a party." Hikaru wisecracks, Kaoru and Tamaki joining in on his laughter.

The rumble of footsteps echoes into the room as the other hosts scramble into the bathroom, Reiko hesitantly hanging in the doorway.

"Hika-Chan, Kao-Chan; Good job finding him!" Honey says happily as he approaches the three kids, "You look happy, Tama-chan."

Tamaki smiles up at him. "I'm just glad to have people who still love me." He reaches up and rubs at his face, hiding his eyes behind his bangs.

"Don't be silly. You're loved by everyone." Honey retorts,"Even Haruhi still loves you. There _are_ more ways to love someone than just romantically, you know?"

"We'll always love you, Boss." the twins say in sync, surprising themselves as they stand up beside him and offer him their hands. Tamaki accepts their help gladly, his legs shaking as he rights himself. He regains his balance and quickly throws his arms around both boys, hugging them tightly.

"Thank you for helping me feel better." He says quietly, "I know you're both still upset about me and Haruhi. It must be hard to stand me so I really appreciate it, guys." Hikaru and Kaoru swallow back nervous knots, nodding their heads as they hug their friend back. Regardless of what happens, they just can't ever bring themselves to hate him.

"It's good to see you're alive and well." Kyoya coughs, breaking up their moment. "Now that we have the break up out of the way, there is still the matter of Haruhi's welcome home party."

Tamaki's eyes open wide in remembrance and he pulls away from the two brothers. Pointing a finger in the air, he clears his throat. "Tomorrow we shall throw her the most spectacular welcome home party that'll bring tears to her eyes! And, if I'm lucky, she might even come running back to me!"

Hikaru rolls his eyes. "He sure got better, quickly."

"You know how Boss _loves_ to plan..." Kaoru smirks in agreement.

"Then that settles it." Kyoya says, dusting himself off, "Hikaru, Kaoru; you two call Haruhi and invite her to the party. Leave the rest to me."

"What can I do to help?" Tamaki asks, smiling excitedly at Kyoya.

"I'll come over to your place tonight. We'll set everything up together." Kyoya says, smirking at him, "How does that sound?"

Tamaki nods his head as Kyoya snaps his fingers to dismiss the group.

Haruhi sighs as she unpacks her bags, glad to be away from everyone. Hopefully the rest of her night will be peaceful. After all the excitement of the afternoon, she could definitely use some relaxation and time to go over her thoughts before she'd have to face everyone, again.

Hoping Tamaki is taking things well, Haruhi folds up one of her sweaters and thinks back on everything that happened. Remembering all the different people who came to welcome her home really helps her to fight back the constant guilt that threatens to bubble up inside of her. Images of Tamaki's sad eyes flash in her mind and she shakes her head, trying to convince herself that what she had done was for the best.

She places her sweater into a drawer, jumping slightly as her ringtone interrupts the silence and her thoughts. Irked by the interruption, she grabs the phone and prays that it's not Tamaki. An involuntary smile spreads across her face as she spies Hikaru's name upon her screen.

"I wonder what he wants." She presses the answer icon and brings the phone to her ear. "Hey, Hikaru."

"How are you feeling, Haruhi?" He asks her as she takes a seat upon her bed and begins folding another sweater.

Haruhi frowns as she remembers all the trouble she had caused everyone while dealing with her feelings for Tamaki. She had especially put the twins through hell, but despite that they supported her and Tamaki. During the year she had spent in Boston, she never bothered to call them. She was sure they needed time to cope with everything and probably didn't want to talk to her. A full year had passed and she had kept in touch with everyone but her two supposed "best friends". It would be wrong of her to push her problems off on them now, let alone expect them to support her like they did back then. After all, she had broken their hearts in her pursuit for true love, only for things to wind up falling apart.

Forcing a smile upon her face, she decides to set aside her worries and lie. For the sake of everyone, it would be best if she kept her current feelings to herself. After all the stress her and Tamaki had caused the others, she felt it would be better to keep the breakup more private this time. Taking a deep breath, she responds to Hikaru.

"I'm doing fine, thanks for asking." She says with mock happiness in her voice.

A snort of irritation reaches her ear from Hikaru's side of the phone. "Hello?" She says, staring at her phone with confusion; quiet arguing can be heard in the background.

"Cut the crap, Haruhi, I know you're not okay." Hikaru barks. Haruhi becomes completely taken aback as Hikaru continues his little rant. "You just broke up with Tamaki. I'm sure you're heart broken so there's no need to pretend like nothing is wrong. We're you're friends. You can talk to us about your feelings if you want."

Small tears form in the corners of her eyes, finding herself touched by the fact that he and Kaoru still care for her even after everything she did to them.

Sniffling at the sincerity in his words, she quickly wipes her eyes. "Hika-"

"Just take your time, Haruhi." Hikaru cuts her off, "Don't push yourself to feel how you think others want you to feel. These things are hard to deal with." Hikaru's end of the line goes silent for a moment. He seems to let out a shaky breath before finishing his sentence. "... _I would know._ "

Haruhi cringes with guilt, despite having a feeling that he would bring up the past. " _Wow_ , Hikaru, you seem to have changed a lot." She comments, shocked by his demeanor. The phone makes some static noises and she checks to see if the call dropped.

"We went through a lot of changes after everything that happened." Kaoru says into the phone, bringing her attention back to the call, "You may have turned us down, which _really_ hurt, but it was actually quite good for us."

A heaviness forms in Haruhi's chest. "I never meant to hurt you guys, I hope you know that."

Kaoru lets out a small chuckle. "It's fine now, Haruhi. Don't worry about it. We're just happy you kept us around, regardless of how you feel about us. It's thanks to you and Tono that we are the way we are now. Just know that we'll always support you, no matter what you choose to do in life."

Haruhi's heart skips a beat at his words, amazed by how well-behaved the two boys are acting. She smiles a little to herself, grateful for how supportive they're being despite the fact that she had ignored them for a year.

Hikaru's many past confessions and the kiss she had shared with Kaoru flash briefly in her mind and she frowns. How bad had she hurt them by refusing to take a chance on them?

"Haruhi, are you there?" comes the voice of Hikaru interrupting her thoughts.

"Sorry, I was just spacing." She shakes her head to clear her mind.

"Didn't mean to get us off track. Sorry, Haru." Hikaru says, "We were supposed to call you to invite you to a welcome home party tomorrow, not sit here and bring up the past."

A bright smile flashes upon Haruhi's face. "Of course I'll come."

"We'll see you tomorrow, then?" He says, "Need a ride? We can come get you if you do."

"I'll see you guys tomorrow." She says, "And, I'll definitely need a ride."

A jittery feeling starts to crawl into her hand as she holds the phone to her ear, nervously listening to Hikaru's wispy breaths on the other line. Talking to them had made her feel better and she just can't seem to bring herself to hang up the phone.

"...G'night, Haruhi." Hikaru lets out a sad sigh before he hangs up the phone.

Frowning at her contact picture of Hikaru, she decides that she needs to make things right with her friends again. After the party tomorrow, she would apologize to them all and hope that things will be normal again once they've discussed everything from the past to the present. A new year is about to begin. She can't run away from things like she did last time.

She sets her phone down upon the night stand and continues unpacking, excited for her welcome home celebration and to once again see her beloved friends.

* * *

"Polyamorous" (Haruhi x Tamaki/Hikaru/Kaoru) an AMV I made for this story on Youtube:

/zJorRQdXn3w


	2. The (After) Life of the Party

Both boys blink in surprise, shocked at her words. Haruhi gazes back and forth between them, smiling softly as they grip her hands tightly.

"You said you supported me, right? I want to support you both, since it's only fair." She says, hoping to get the twins to talk.

"I stepped down so Hikaru could have a chance." Kaoru says quietly, "You remember the kiss, Haru? I enjoyed our date very much, but decided Hikaru was more important. I couldn't stand the thought of losing both you and him." He lowers his eyes to the ground, staring at some ants crawling upon the cement.

Haruhi turns to face him, "I never really understood _why_ you kissed me and ended the date like that. I wish you would have just told me this before. Now I feel bad because it feels like you gave up. I'm happy you're such a good brother Kao, but you need to think about yourself, too."

"I _was_ thinking about myself, Haruhi." Kaoru mumbles, "If you and Hikaru are happy, then I'm happy. Isn't that how love works?"

Hikaru frowns, his brother slowly looking over at him and smiling wistfully.

"I backed off so you and Tamaki could be happy, Haru." Haruhi looks towards Hikaru and he averts his eyes. "It hurt so much having you reject me, yet I couldn't stand to see you and Tamaki rejecting each other. This break up sucks! It's making me upset just thinking about it. I was really hoping things would work out for you two, Haruhi. You're both unhappy now and I can't stand it!" Hikaru grips angrily at his knees as he fights back tears.

Haruhi's heart feels heavy and she looks down at her hands, realizing that they're no longer being held by her friends. She bites her lip in frustration, angry that she not only made Tamaki cry, but now the twins are crying, too.

She looks sideways towards Hikaru, watching as he shakes with both anger and sadness. Remembering how her father has comforted her before, she hesitantly raises an arm towards him and gently places it upon his shoulder. He gasps briefly before his face contorts with anguish once again. He throws his arms around her waist, pressing his face into her shoulder.

She nervously pats him upon the back as he takes a few deep breaths to calm himself. "Everything will be okay, Hika. Please don't cry. Tamaki and I are still friends. We'll always love each other, so don't worry." She says.

"It just feels so pointless, Haru. We went through all this pain just for it to end in nothing." Hikaru mumbles against her shoulder, "Why do people love others if it's only gonna end in hurt?"

"Because of the feeling you get when you're with the person you love." Haruhi says, her eyes lighting up as she remembers the spark Tamaki once made her feel, "It makes you happy and nervous all at once. You take the chance because it can really be worth it. I hope you guys get to experience it someday, too."

Kaoru's heart aches as he observes the emotions running through Haruhi's eyes. "Your idea of love sounds wonderful, Haru. I'm glad you and Tamaki got to experience it." She turns to smile at him, only to have him avert his eyes away from her.

Haruhi awakens to bright streams of sunlight shining directly into her eyes. Squinting against the harsh rays, she rolls over onto her side away from the window and pulls the blanket over her head. A frown forms upon her face as she tries her best to fall back to sleep, losing the fight as memories and guilt threaten to keep her awake.

Despite having told herself that today would be a new start, she had spent all night thinking about the many people she possibly hurt or neglected in the past. As she sat there in the dark with her thoughts her heart grew heavier and heavier with regret. She stared at the ceiling and tried to recall any events or mean things she had said to others. Hoping beyond hope that she hadn't been too inconsiderate of other people's feelings as she struggled to come to terms with her own.

Harboring romantic feelings for the bumbling idiot king of the Host Club had been something she never expected. She had been so ashamed to discover she was in love with Tamaki that she fought tooth and nail to deny it. Between her denial and Tamaki's stupidity, they had practically driven everyone crazy. Yet, she was happy that things eventually worked out and she got to be with the one she had fallen for. Things were looking up for her as she not only discovered love, but also got to further her education by studying abroad.

She had been so happy with all the changes that occurred for her and Tamaki that she never really thought about how the other Hosts felt. Between putting up with her and Tamaki's mood swings and dealing with the twins discovering their own feelings of love for her, the end of the host club constantly loomed in the air. Luckily things had become better with her and Tamaki finally coming together, but had the others forgotten about the past or were they still hurting?

Sighing, she sits up in bed and shakes her head to get rid of her thoughts. While Tamaki and her were currently the ones with the broken hearts, she couldn't help but feel like the others still harbored ill feelings for the past even if they weren't going to admit to it.

A knock at the door brings her back to the present and she looks up to see Ranka poking his head into her room.

"Good morning, dear." He says with a sigh, "The twins are here to see you."

"Oh, no! I totally forgot they were picking me up." Haruhi scrambles out of bed, "The others are throwing me a welcome home party today."

Ranka chuckles. "Please be careful and have lots of fun. The boys are waiting for you in the living room. I'm gonna get back to sleep, okay?"

The Hitachiin limo pulls up outside of the main Suoh mansion right as Tamaki and Antoinette come rushing at them yelling and barking happily.

"Thank gosh you're here! What took you guys so long?!" Tamaki cries, pressing his face against the backseat window of the limo.

Kaoru rolls down the window. "Haruhi had to get dressed. We're here now so relax, Boss."

Tamaki blinks at him as the window rolls back up and the door slowly opens. He and Antoinette withdraw themselves from the door, both of them staring wide eyed as Kaoru helps a beautifully dressed Haruhi out of the back seat.

Hikaru watches her stumble out of the back seat, swallowing back a nervous knot as he enjoys the sight of her in one of their dresses. Despite the fact that she had hated their gifts and tried her hardest to reject them, it was astounding to see that she had at least kept one of them. Even more shocking was that she was standing before him wearing one of the last dresses they ever gifted her before she started dating Tamaki. He feels his cheeks redden as he stares at her back, trying not to stare at the hint of her upper leg that she is trying her hardest to hide.

Haruhi struggles with pulling her dress down as Antoinette leaps at her happily, "Senpai, could you get her off of me?" Tamaki gazes at her in awe as she stands before him trying to get his attention. She waves a hand in frustration and he snaps out of his daze, completely unaware of what she had just said to him.

Kaoru claps his hands to get the dog's attention as he notices the look of frustration upon Haruhi's face. "Here, Antoinette! Who's a good girl?"

He lets out a giggle as she runs over and knocks him onto his butt while licking his face. Haruhi smiles at the duo as they play together upon the ground. Kaoru burrows his face into Antoinette's neck and chuckles, scratching her upon her back.

Hikaru climbs out of the limo and shuts the door. His face continues to burn from his blush and he tries his hardest to hide it, knowing that it'll make it harder to be around Haruhi if she sees him looking like that.

He leans against the limo door and smirks as he watches his brother and Haruhi enjoy themselves, glad to see Haruhi looking happy despite being near Tamaki.

The front door to the mansion opens up and Kyoya steps out. He claps his hands loudly in the air, all four teens drawing their attention towards him.

"I was under the impression that fresh food was of utmost importance, Tamaki." Kyoya says as he crosses his arms, "Isn't that why you had the cooks rush the food?"

Tamaki's eyes open wide with shock and he grips his hair. "Oh, no! The food is gonna be cold by the time we sit down. Haruhi is gonna have the worst welcome home party ever and it's all because I was too stupid to control myself!" He falls down on his knees and crawls towards Haruhi. "Haruhi, please forgive me!" Grasping her by the leg, he buries his face in the crook of his arm and fake-sobs loudly.

Sighing, Haruhi bends down and pats him upon the head. "I forgive you, Senpai. Now, get up so we can go inside and enjoy the party."

A bright smile flashes upon Tamaki's face and he jumps up before her, grabbing her into a hug and kissing her upon the forehead. Haruhi pulls away from him as she struggles to control her emotions. Hikaru glares at Tamaki for making things harder for her, irritated that he just had to ruin the moment.

Noticing the tension between the three, Kaoru quickly grabs a hold of Tamaki's arm and drags him away towards the mansion. "Come on, Tono. Let's get inside and have the staff make sure the food is still warm." He mumbles as Tamaki tries to pull himself loose.

Haruhi sighs as she watches Kaoru struggle to pull Tamaki up the stairs and into the mansion. Hikaru approaches her and hesitantly places a hand upon her shoulder to comfort her, the least he can do knowing that it'll take time for her to feel better.

She turns her head to face him and smiles bitterly, gripping his hand as she waits for her nerves to settle down.

"Guess it's gonna take a while for everything to go back to normal, huh?" Hikaru says, flashing her a gentle smile.

"At least I had Kaoru here to help." Haruhi says as Kyoya heads into the mansion and shuts the door "Don't know what I'm gonna do when I'm alone with Tamaki."

"Maybe you two should talk about your feelings again?" Hikaru says quietly, internally hating himself for practically leading her back into Tamaki's arms.

Haruhi frowns. "I think maybe we should take a break from discussing the breakup for a while after this. Just until we can both talk about it calmly."

Hikaru smiles at her words and breathes a sigh of relief. He nods in agreement. "Sounds like a good idea to me, Haru."

As they head towards the front door, Haruhi quickly hugs him around the shoulders. "Thank you for being there for me, Hika." She says, pulling away. Hikaru's heart beats wildly in his chest and he turns his head away from her, his cheeks tingling. Unsure of how to react or what to say to her, he quickly starts to climb up the stairs with Haruhi following after him.

He grabs open the door for her, bowing as she walks through. She thanks him and heads inside. Following her into the mansion, he watches her make her way into the dining room as he closes the front door behind himself.

Leaning backwards against the door, he closes his eyes tightly and waits for his heart to calm down. Sure it was just a simple hug, but Haruhi never really initiated things with him before. It was always him and Kaoru teasing her and touching her against her will. Could it possibly have meant something or was it just her showing appreciation for the fact that he had supported her?

Quickly shaking away any thoughts of hope bubbling up inside of him, Hikaru lets out a sigh and stands up. He readies himself to face the others, hoping that the night goes smoothly.

Haruhi sits upon the stairs hugging her knees as she stares out at the grounds before her. Her heart aches as Tamaki's words repeat in her head over and over again. She expected a dumb speech, so it's not that the speech surprised her; but more-so the fact that he just had to bring feelings of love into it. It had barely been a full day since they broke up and already he was making a big scene out of it.

She lets out a sigh and closes her eyes, laying her head upon her knees. Despite wanting to take her time to work through her emotions and discover what exactly had happened to the feelings she had for Tamaki, it looks like that is no longer going to be an option. Tamaki clearly is torn up about the breakup, which only serves to make her feel even more guilty than she already had felt before.

The door behind her slowly opens and she turns around ready to snap at Tamaki, not feeling like talking to him right now.

Spotting her two best friends, she breathes out a sigh of relief as they take a stand behind her. A smile flashes upon her face, finding it amusing that she's actually glad to see them. They close the door and nervously approach her.

"Mind if we join you?" Hikaru takes a seat to the left of her.

Haruhi pats the step to her right as an invitation for Kaoru. He smiles down at her and sits down beside her.

"You doing okay, Haruhi?" Kaoru asks her as he reaches for her hand. She looks down and frowns before hesitantly allowing him to take her hand in his. He squeezes it gently, waiting for her response.

"...Not really, no." Haruhi mumbles, gripping his hand tightly for support, "I just feel so guilty over breaking up with him. It feels like what I did was wrong and I don't know what to do. I know I didn't feel a spark when he kissed me at the airport. My heart just hurts a lot whenever he gets upset. Does it make me a bad person for breaking up with him?"

"No, it doesn't." Hikaru growls, glaring jealously over at his brother before grabbing a hold of her other hand, "You breaking up with him was the right thing to do. If you don't love someone, why string them along?"

She smiles painfully at him. "I'm glad you feel that way. It just feels like I'm alone now that Tamaki and I broke up. I feel like people won't like me as much now that I've made Tamaki sad."

"You're not alone, Haruhi." Kaoru says as he turns her to face him, "The host club still loves you no matter what."

Hikaru blushes. "Me and Kaoru still love you, you know. We always will, Haruhi."

Haruhi feels herself tear up at their sincerity "Thank you both for being so nice to me. It's a lot to go through by myself and I wish mom was here to help me. I wish I had this type of support back then, too. Maybe things wouldn't be as difficult as they are now."

Hikaru lets go of Haruhi's hand as he remembers the events that led up to Haruhi and Tamaki dating. "It's not like we didn't want to help you, Haruhi. It's that we were sort of dealing with our own feelings too, remember? That would have been... awkward if we had tried to help you out." He mumbles quietly, as a heaviness builds up in his chest.

Kaoru looks over at his brother and frowns as he notices tears in the corners of his eyes. "Hikaru, now isn't the best time to be bringing this up."

Haruhi shakes her head. "No, it's fine, Kao. I actually wanted to talk to you guys about the past."

"Why do you wanna talk about it? It's not like it matters anymore!" Hikaru mumbles as he furiously wipes away his tears and scoots away from her. Squeezing his eyes shut, he turns his face away from the two people beside him.

Haruhi watches Hikaru sit quietly upon the stairs. "I'm sorry. I don't know what good an apology will do after all the pain I caused you guys, but I can't think of anything else to say."

"You can't hide from the past, Hikaru." Kaoru sighs, "Even if it makes you feel bad, we should talk about it. We're friends with Haruhi and that's what people who care about each other do. How are we ever going to return to the way things were if we can't talk?"

"I don't want to talk, Kaoru. I just want to get this break up crap over with so we can go back to being somewhat happy again." Hikaru barks, turning to face them.

Haruhi glares at him. "Quit being so selfish. If you want me to get this break up over with, then I need to talk to you guys."

Hikaru frowns as she reaches up and places a hand upon his face. "Please, Hika? I've been feeling really guilty ever since this break up. It's not just because of the pain I caused Tamaki. It's because of how everyone else must have felt because of me."

"I'm glad you guys remained my friends even after all that happened." She says, grabbing Hikaru's hand again, "After yesterday, I couldn't stop feeling selfish. I realized I never offered to talk with any of you about what was happening between me and Tamaki. You all suffered because of us and we did nothing to help ease your suffering."

"Don't feel like that, Haru. There was nothing wrong with what you did. You were just coping in your own way like the rest of us." Kaoru says, smiling tenderly at her, "It would have been mean for us to expect you to comfort us when you were hurting, too. Besides, it all worked out okay in the end, right?"

"That's not the point, Kaoru." Haruhi sighs, "I know you guys loved me too, and I just shot you down without ever taking your feelings into consideration."

"It's okay now, Haruhi. Whether you accepted our feelings or not, it was a really good experience for us." Kaoru explains, "We learned to find our individual selves, thanks to you. And we got to experience love even if it _was_ short lived." Kaoru flashes her a smile that's a little too fake, his glossy eyes betraying him.

Haruhi notices the sadness behind Kaoru's mask of optimism and frowns. "I know you guys learned from the experience, but that's not what I want to hear. What I want is for you to tell me how you guys actually felt."

Kaoru frowns, taken aback by what he's hearing. "As in... share our pain with you like you're doing with us now?"

"How about we just don't say anything at all." Hikaru barks as he lays his head against the railing, "It's the past, so drop it. No use bringing up bad memories if they're just gonna make us feel like shit again. We'll deal with your break up and pretend all the stuff in the past didn't happen. This is about _you,_ after all. Not us."

"Welcome home, Haruhi!" comes the cheers of the Hosts as Hikaru heads into the dining room. Haruhi smiles brightly from her seat at the end of the long dining table. "I'm happy to be back. I missed you guys a lot!" She smiles at Hikaru as he takes a seat beside Kaoru to the left of her.

"You're our guest of honor. Today is _your_ day, Haruhi." Tamaki says with a forced smile, sitting to the right of her.

Kaoru smirks from his seat beside her, placing a gentle hand upon her arm. "Enjoying yourself, Haruhi?"

"I'm just happy to be home." She says, blushing as her friends smile back at her. Tamaki hesitantly pats her shoulder before quickly withdrawing his hand, causing Haruhi to frown for just a split second before flashing everyone a smile again.

Hikaru notices this and glares at Tamaki, hoping that he doesn't ruin the celebration with his stupidity.

Noticing that his brother seems troubled, Kaoru grabs Hikaru's hand and squeezes it gently. It hadn't even been more than a day since the breakup happened and already Hikaru is exhibiting signs of irritation towards Tamaki.

Hikaru squeezes it back and smiles sideways at his brother. Tamaki's mere presence may be irritating him, but it's easier to deal with when Kaoru is by his side.

Tamaki coughs as everyone situates themselves, a gesture for the staff to begin the welcome home banquet for his guests.

Butlers and maids run around the room placing different sized dishes and platters upon the table. Haruhi feels her appetite grow as she stares at the multiple entrees and side dishes before her. She spots fancy tuna on a dish close to Hikaru and smiles delightfully as she catches his eye. Despite the changing times, Haruhi will always be cute when it comes to her love for fancy tuna. Hikaru looks down at the plate and hands it to her while chuckling, her eyes practically digging into the tuna already.

Haruhi takes the platter from him, their fingertips lightly brushing. He feels his cheeks tingle and practically shoves her hand away, lowering his eyes to the table. She frowns at him in confusion before spooning large quantities onto her plate.

Tamaki stands up and clinks his spoon against his glass for a toast as the other hosts fill their plates. "I want to make a toast to my darling Haruhi. You were sorely missed while gone. The host club and all of Ouran noticed what a difference it made when you were gone."

Haruhi smiles as she shovels some tuna into her mouth and listens to Tamaki's speech. He nods his head at her as he rambles on. "We're so proud that you were able to further your education. You even got a chance to see more of the world while doing so. However, we are glad to have you back and hope that it will stay that way."

"To Haru-chan!" Honey shouts from across the table as he raises his glass of juice in the air. Haruhi and the other hosts copy him before taking a drink and setting their glasses upon the table. Tamaki smiles at her as he sits back in his chair and begins digging into his foie gras with much gusto.

"So, Haruhi, what are your plans now that you're back in Japan?" Kyoya asks her as he takes a sip of his juice, "You are returning to Ouran, yes?"

"Of course!" Haruhi says, finishing her last bite of tuna, "I'm going to finish my senior year at Ouran and then apply for the same law school my mother went to."

The twins flash bright smiles at her. "We're really happy to have you back, Haruhi!"

"It was so boring having an empty desk between us in every class." Kaoru says.

Hikaru cuts his steak into strips. "We had no one to tease so we had to stay quiet for most of the day."

Haruhi smiles sideways at them. "I can't wait to return to Ouran, either. America was a nice change in scenery, but nothing compares to home."

Tamaki blushes brightly as he turns towards her. "I'm so glad you're back, Haruhi. Whether we're dating or not, I'll always love you. Life just isn't the same without you."

An awkward silence washes over the teens as Haruhi sets her spoon down and frowns. "Would you excuse me for a moment?" Scooting her chair back, she stands up and bows at her guests before swiftly walking out of the dining room. The sounds of the front door opening and closing echo through the foyer, an awkward silence settling around everyone.

Hikaru sits up and stares at her. "So, everything wasn't pointless?"

"That's right, Hika." Haruhi smiles brightly as she enjoys the euphoria from sharing her memories of love. She opens her eyes and turns to face him, the smile instantly leaving her face. It doesn't seem fair that she's sitting there so happy while he sits before her looking so miserable.

She hesitantly reaches up and wipes away the tears from his eyes, Hikaru gasping at her touch. A small smile creeps upon his mouth and she smiles back at him, glad to have made him feel a little better.

"It's going to take a while til I'm able to face him again, but my memories really help." She says as she peers into his eyes, "And I have you guys here to support me now, so I won't be alone with just my memories."

"We'll be each other's emotional support." Kaoru says, hesitantly wrapping an arm around Haruhi's shoulder, "That's what... _friends_ are for, right?"

"Does this mean I might have another chance someday, Haru?" Hikaru says quietly, blushing as he continues gazing into her eyes.

Kaoru cringes. "You can't ask her that right now, Hikaru. She just got out of a relationship with Boss. _Way_ too early for that."

Haruhi sighs, "I'm not going to think of love for a while, Hika." Hikaru pulls himself away from her, causing her to sigh in frustration. Try as she might, she seems to upset people without meaning to, just like Tamaki.

Pretending not to notice the sadness in his eyes, she continues talking, "But that doesn't mean you can't love me. I know you guys forced yourselves to back off. Don't hurt yourselves anymore, okay? If I'm not going to return your feelings, I want to do it properly this time unlike the past."

Hikaru smiles. "So, You wouldn't hate me if I said I was still in love with you?"

"Of course not. Thanks to your feelings, you helped me realize I was in love with Tamaki. I feel more calm and at peace since I came to terms with my feelings. They're not there anymore, so why should you have to keep hiding yours?" Haruhi shrugs.

"Regardless of the outcome, we'll always be here for you, Haruhi." Kaoru flashes her a small smile. "Just promise me you'll do what's right for you and not what you think is right for others. There's no need to stress yourself out anymore for the sake of others, especially not Tamaki."

Haruhi lets out a content laugh. "I'm so glad we had this talk. I feel a thousand times better about the past and the breakup. It feels like I'll be able to face Tamaki for the rest of the day even if he says anything else stupid. As crazy as this sounds, I think I'm going to enjoy having you guys around."

"Glad we could help." Hikaru mumbles as he swallows back a nervous knot.

"Ready to go back?" Kaoru stands up and offers her his hand. "Maybe they'll have more fatty tuna for you?"

Haruhi takes a hold of his hand and stands up slowly, trying to keep her dress from riding up. "I really hope so. That was the best dish of the meal, so far."

She turns towards Hikaru and offers him her hand, smirking as he blushes up at her.

"Let's go get you some more tuna." He accepts her hand and rises beside her.

Kaoru opens the door for them and they file into the mansion, ready to continue on with the celebration.

* * *

"Polyamorous" (Haruhi x Tamaki/Hikaru/Kaoru) an AMV I made for this story on Youtube:

/zJorRQdXn3w


	3. Thriller

Haruhi sits as far away in her seat as she can from Tamaki, eyeing him out of the corner of her eye as they sit in silence. Tamaki clasps his hands in front of himself and stares out at the people and rides below them. She watches him sit perfectly still and sighs as the Ferris wheel finishes its first round. Biting her lip, she prepares herself to speak; if someone doesn't say anything soon, things will get really awkward.

She clears her throat and opens her mouth to speak, only to be cut off by Tamaki's sad voice "You don't have to say anything, Haruhi. I understand that sometimes these things just happen and it's fine. As long as we're still friends, I'll be happy."

Swallowing back a nervous knot, Haruhi responds, "No, I need to talk to you. If we don't, things won't get better."

A blush creeps into Tamaki's cheeks. "If that's what you really want, Haruhi, then I will listen."

"Thank you, Senpai." Haruhi sighs before she continues on, "I need you to know that it really hurt me to do what I did. I just thought you would be better off without me seeing as I don't even know how I feel about us anymore."

Tamaki glares at her, small tears in his eyes "Better off without you?! I was happy _with_ you. You could have stayed with me and I would _never_ have known you didn't feel the same about me. Why didn't you just stay, Haruhi?"

Haruhi's heart drops and she returns the glare "You would have noticed eventually. What's the point in staying with someone if you're not sure you love them? I'm only trying to do what's best for us."

Tears start to stream down Tamaki's face and he turns away from her. Haruhi frowns as she stares at him, watching him wipe his face furiously. She places a hand upon his shoulder and he gently shrugs it off.

"I don't understand it. I thought we really loved each other, Haruhi. What happened?" Tamaki sniffles as he stares straight ahead.

Haruhi tears up as she tries to think of a good answer. Her heart constricts as she runs through the many memories of her past, trying to remember when she had realized her feelings for Tamaki had changed. Immaturity, selfishness, and narcissism are the only real problems she can think of among the many amazing memories of him. Yet her spark for him had disappeared and she doesn't know why. Unable to come up with an answer worth the pain she's putting him through, Haruhi bites her lip in an attempt to prevent herself from breaking down.

"I don't know what to tell you. I just don't know." She hides her face in her hands as she turns away from Tamaki.

Tamaki turns to look at her and frowns as he watches her shoulders shake "Haruhi, please don't cry! I never meant to upset you. You said you want to talk and we're talking right?"

Haruhi takes a few deep breaths as she tries to compose herself. She almost never cries, so what's come over her and why can't she stop crying?

"Haru-chan!" Honey shouts happily, standing up quickly as the trio walks into the dining room.

Mori and Kyoya smirk at them as they make their way towards the table. Haruhi blushes as Hikaru pulls out her chair for her and she takes a seat. Tamaki looks up at the two boys and flashes them a small smile of gratitude. They nod their heads at him before taking their seats. Glances are exchanged between one another as they return to their food, silverware clanks filling the air as they eat in silence. Tamaki and the twins constantly sneak looks at Haruhi as she chows down on tuna while staring straight ahead at Kyoya.

Haruhi sets her fork and knife down upon the table and breaks the awkward silence, "Sorry for leaving abruptly." All heads turn toward her and she blushes brightly while wiping her mouth off with her napkin.

"You don't need to be sorry Haruhi, you did nothing wrong." Hikaru says, glaring at Tamaki.

Taking the hint, Tamaki scoots his chair back and bows towards Haruhi. "I'm very sorry if I ruined your party. Please forgive me, Haruhi."

A small smile spreads across Haruhi's face as she stares down at him. "It's okay, Senpai. The party isn't ruined. If anything, its only gotten better."

Tamaki sits up and flashes her a goofy grin. "I'm so happy to hear you say that! I promise I won't open my stupid mouth anymore."

"Just relax, okay?" Haruhi places a hand upon his arm and he nods his head at her in acknowledgement. She returns the nod before turning her attention back to the others. Crossing her hands in front of her, she clears her throat before beginning a small speech "Mori, Kyoya, and Honey-Senpai, I would like to apologize on behalf of Tamaki and I for any harm we have caused you in the past."

Kyoya stares at her from across the table and pushes his glasses up his nose. "No apology is necessary, Haruhi. I would, however, like for you to run the Host Club this year in my stead. The stress caused by you and Tamaki cost the club a good deal of money. Finish the whole year and the past will be forgiven."

Haruhi's eyes open wide and she runs her hand over her face in irritation. "Are you sure that's such a good idea? I don't want to ruin your _reputation_."

An evil glint shines through Kyoya's glasses. "Then, don't ruin my reputation. It's as simple as that." Haruhi glares at him from across the table as he flashes her an evil smirk. "Rich bastards!" She mumbles under her breath. He continues eyeing her, his hands folded professionally upon the table.

"You don't have to apologize to Takashi and I, Haru-chan." Honey says from across the table, "We're just happy to have you and Tama-chan as friends, still." Haruhi draws her eyes away from Kyoya and smiles down at Honey, smiling as Mori nods his head at her and flashes her a smirk.

"So, feeling any better, Haruhi?" Kaoru says, placing his hand upon hers, "It seems everyone is at peace with the past."

Tears of joy form in the corners of Haruhi's eyes and she wipes them away, sniffling and nodding her head profusely. Tamaki watches her cry and places a hand upon hers to comfort her.

"I have a great idea!" Tamaki says, sitting up quickly in his chair, "Tomorrow is your last day of summer. Let's go on a group date to celebrate!"

Hikaru glares at him. "A group date? Don't you mean hanging out together? Group date sounds kind of odd." Kaoru nods his head in agreement as he stares across the table at Tamaki.

A small blush creeps into Tamaki's cheeks. "Well, yeah, that's what I meant. I was just trying to say we should go do something fun together."

"That would be fun!" Honey says happily, "We could go to the fair that's in town?" Tamaki and Haruhi look at one another and frown. Memories of their first date together flood into Haruhi's mind and she sighs as a heaviness sets in her chest, worried that their outing might get awkward if they go.

Hikaru and Kaoru exchange mischievous glances at one another as they turn towards Haruhi. "The fair sounds exciting. Let's go, Haruhi!"

"I'm not sure I want to go." She shrugs. "Can't we go do something else like go to the zoo or the movies?"

Tamaki's frown is replaced with a smile. "I think we should go. It's been a year since we last went, Haruhi." Haruhi cringes as she watches sadness flash in his eyes at the mention of their past date.

Taking a deep breath she turns to the twins as they flash her sad looks, their lower lips in pouts as they wordlessly beg her to agree. She smirks at their efforts, making them both blush. How can she say no to faces like that?

Rolling her eyes in amusement, Haruhi nods her head. "It has been a while, huh?"

Squeals of excitement ring through the air as the twins hug each other happily. Laughter erupts from Haruhi as she looks around at the smiling faces of her friends.

Both boys whoop excitedly as the pod shoots through the air at a rapid speed. Kaoru throws his hands in the air, laughing as the pod hits its highest point and starts to fall back down. A small squeak issues from between the two boys and they look sideways at Haruhi. Hikaru frowns as he notices small tears in the corners of Haruhi's eyes as she shrieks out in fear.

"I can't believe I let you guys talk me into this." Haruhi grips her lap guard tightly. The wires dangling above them make a creaking noise and she swallows back a nervous knot. "Why did I say yes to this?"

Hikaru smiles sideways at her as she scrunches her eyes closed "It's gonna be fun, Haruhi. Thrill rides are supposed to cheer you up." He rattles the cage above their heads, excited to get the ride started.

"It's okay, Haru. This ride is perfectly safe." Kaoru chuckles, slapping his lap guard, "You've got us, so there's nothing to worry about."

They look down at the line forming outside of the ride and smirk as the other hosts hug the fence near the exit. Tamaki grips the fence tightly, his face all red as he cries out to them, "You better not break my Haruhi! I'll kill you devil twins if she doesn't return in one piece!"

Haruhi internally cringes at Tamaki's words as her eyes remain shut. She appreciates that he cares, but why does he always have to embarrass her?

Rolling his eyes, Hikaru waves to Tamaki. "Don't worry, Boss, she's safe with us." Kaoru smiles and throws an arm around Haruhi's shoulders, giving her a small hug. The ride operator walks up to them and shakes their guards. Haruhi's heart beats nervously as she prepares for the ride to start _._

With a nod of his head, the operator walks off and approaches the ride control panel. A loud buzzer sounds and they hear a popping noise from below them as their pod launches upward into the sky; cries of excitement and fear echoing through the air. Tamaki dramatically falls to his knees in tears as he watches them soar overhead higher and higher.

Haruhi's hand moves towards Hikaru's hand and grips it tightly as the pod hits the ground and starts its journey back up into the air. His heart flutters in his chest as he grips her hand back, smiling as she opens one eye to look at him.

"I've got you, Haruhi. I won't let anything happen to you." He says as he grips her hand tighter.

A small blush creeps into her cheeks and she cautiously opens her eyes to gaze back at him. Hikaru chuckles at her nervousness, making her smile at his laughter. The pod starts to fall down and she shrieks, making him laugh even harder. Kaoru eyes the two of them out of the corner of his eye and sighs, slightly jealous at the attention she's showering Hikaru with.

"See? This wasn't so bad." Kaoru smirks as the pod makes its way back to the ground and slowly bounces a few more times, trying to get his mind off of the fact that his brother had just been flirting with Haruhi mere inches away from him.

Haruhi turns towards him and nods her head in agreement. "It was a little scary. But, I had a lot of fun." She lets out a little squeal as the pod makes one final bounce, making Kaoru chuckle.

"All Better?" Hikaru asks and she nods her head profusely.

"Didn't mean to kidnap you from the others as soon as we got here." Kaoru says, watching the operator messing with buttons. He smirks mischievously, obviously _not_ sorry about kidnapping her.

"We wanted you to forget about the awkwardness between you and Boss." Hikaru says, watching the operator turn a key, "We just want you to have fun, today."

The ride operator comes up the stairs and unlocks their lap guards, signaling for them to get going. Kaoru pulls his up and jumps down, offering Haruhi his hand. She smiles at him and takes his hand, jumping down from her seat. Hikaru slides down behind her, grabbing a hold of her hand as they head towards the exit.

"Haruhi, oh thank gosh you're okay!" Tamaki shouts as the trio make their way towards the exit gate, "Nothing is out of place, right?" The twins glare at Tamaki as he pulls Haruhi into a hug.

Sighing, Haruhi hugs him back. "I'm okay, Senpai. Really."

Tamaki looks down at her and blushes. "Sorry. I was just worried about you."

Hikaru crosses his arms angrily. "It's not like we'd let anything happen to her. All we did was get her excited for today."

"Don't worry too much, Boss." Kaoru says, "It's over now. Now we can all go find something to ride together."

A bright smile flashes upon Honey's face. "We should ride the carousel, next. What do you think, Haru-chan?"

Haruhi pulls away from Tamaki. "That sounds like a good idea. No more thrill rides for me."

Tamaki stares at her, his lower lip trembling as she wipes her tears away. "Would you prefer we drop this conversation, Haruhi?"

Haruhi gazes deeply into his eyes as she continues to take deep; slow breaths.

"Talk to me, Haruhi, _please_." Tamaki begs her, "Should we drop this or continue-" A muffled gasp escapes his mouth as Haruhi cuts him off, throwing herself forward and pressing her lips roughly against his. He blushes and grabs her head, pressing his lips to hers as he returns the kiss.

Haruhi closes her eyes, her heart slightly jumping as she continues kissing him. Her hands make their way around his neck and she starts to sob against his mouth as a slight tingle spreads through her body. Despite all the convincing she had done to herself to believe she didn't love him anymore, a small flicker of her feelings still remains. She feels her heart drop in her chest and wishes her mother was there to help her figure things out. Why is love so confusing?!

Before they know it, the host club members find themselves standing before the carousel.

Giggling, Honey jumps onto a white carousel horse and grips its head tightly. Mori grunts and takes a stand beside him, holding onto the pole his horse sits on. Kyoya sighs and takes a seat upon one of the carousel benches, taking out his phone and losing himself in his work. Today may be a celebration about Haruhi, but he can't put his work on hold. The remaining teens stand around looking at the last three horses and frown.

"Haruhi should go ahead and take one." Tamaki chuckles, scratching his head nervously, "Ladies first, after all."

Climbing up onto a black horse, Haruhi frowns as she stares at her three friends. "Maybe one of you guys can sit with Kyoya Senpai?" She suggests. The two twins glare at Tamaki who flinches under their gazes and sighs, taking the hint.

"I'll go sit with him, then." He says dejectedly as he slowly walks towards Kyoya and sits down beside him.

Haruhi looks back at him, her heart growing heavy with guilt as he slumps in the bench. She grips the carousel pole tightly and sighs. Despite having had high hopes for the day, she's beginning to feel like it was a mistake to come here. After all, all Tamaki has done is mope around and panic over her.

Hikaru and Kaoru climb onto the remaining horses, smirking as the carousel starts up. Haruhi's horse jerks forward and she lets out a little yelp, quickly grabbing a hold of the pole in front of her. The twins giggle under their breaths at her and she smiles back, forgetting about Tamaki for the moment.

"Yee-haw!" Hikaru chuckles, staring sideways at Haruhi from atop his brown horse. Haruhi snorts with amusement, watching her two friends act like little kids as they ride upon their chosen horses.

A blush crawls into her cheeks as she watches Hikaru bob up and down beside her. He spots her watching him and catches her eye, his face growing flustered. She returns the gaze, her heart fluttering as she thinks of him as being cute; something she had never thought before.

Hikaru and her had always been _just_ friends. She had always known about the many girls who practically swooned over him, but she never understood what they saw in him. Who'd have thought that all it would take was him letting his guard down and having fun on a carousel for her to see him as "cute" just like the other girls?

"Enjoying yourself so far, Haru?" Kaoru says from behind her, snapping her out of her daze.

She quickly turns to face him and nods her head 'yes', almost losing her grip on her horse and making him chuckle. "I don't think Tamaki is, though." Looking backwards at Tamaki and Kyoya over her shoulder, Haruhi lets out a forlorn sigh.

Kaoru frowns. "Don't worry too much about him. He'll get over it, soon."

Hikaru rolls his eyes. "He's such a crybaby sometimes."

"Hey, I heard that!" Tamaki yells, making the twins laugh in sync. Haruhi shoots them angry glares and they instantly stop laughing. She cringes as her and Tamaki glance at one another, wondering why the twins always have to pick on him and make everything worse.

The carousel slowly comes to a stop and everyone starts to scramble off. Tamaki pouts as he fights to get Kyoya to stand up and ignore his phone. "Come on, Kyoya. Your phone can wait!" He yanks roughly on Kyoya's arm, frowning as he barely moves him an inch. "Tamaki, you may have time to mess around, but others have a business to run." Kyoya says, glaring at him for a brief second. Noticing the sadness upon his face, Haruhi slips off her horse and walks up to him.

"Hey, Senpai, are you doing okay?" Haruhi says, flashing Tamaki a small smile. He continues pulling on Kyoya's arm and frowns up at her. "I'm okay, I guess. I just feel like the twins are hogging you, is all." Haruhi groans, "How about we ride the Ferris Wheel next? You can sit with me if you'd like." Tamaki's face turns bright red and he flashes her a beaming smile. "I would love to, Haruhi!" He throws his arms around her shoulders and chuckles, frowning as he catches the twins glaring jealously at him. Haruhi hesitantly pats his back lightly as he hugs her.

"We'll get Kyoya off here and head there next." Tamaki says, quickly pulling away from her. Haruhi nods her head before turning to Kyoya. "Senpai, you don't have to ride the next ride if you don't want to. But, could you at least get off the carousel before we get kicked out?" Kyoya snaps his cell phone shut and stands up silently. Breathing a sigh of relief, the remaining teens exit the carousel together and head towards the Ferris wheel.

"I'm going to sit this one out." Kyoya mumbles as he sits down on a bench beside the entrance to the Ferris Wheel and stares down at his phone, "You guys go ahead without me." Haruhi rolls her eyes at him before making her way towards the entrance of the Ferris Wheel. The operator spins the ride to the first empty carriage and stops it from moving. He gestures for Haruhi and Tamaki to come sit. Both teens nervously walk side by side towards their seats.

Hikaru crosses his arms against his chest as he watches Haruhi and Tamaki scramble into the same seat. "Of course they get to go together on _this_ ride." He looks away from them and frowns, irritated that they get to ride on one of the most romantic rides for couples.

"Don't worry so much, Hikaru." Kaoru says, "She's only going on this ride with him because he was whining so much." He bites his lip as he watches them leave, hoping that his assumptions are correct.

Mori and Honey exchange glances of understanding as they approach both the twins. Honey wraps his arm around Kaoru's waist and smiles sideways at him. Kaoru returns the smirk as they watch the operator spin the Ferris wheel to the next open carriage beneath Haruhi and Tamaki.

"I'm gonna ride with you, Kao-chan. _Okay?_ " Honey says, eyeing him sympathetically.

Kaoru stares sideways at him and sighs, "I'm that obvious, huh? I guess I could really use someone to talk to."

"It's not really obvious. I can just tell you're acting nervous around Haru-chan, again." Honey frowns as he watches Kaoru blush.

The operator gestures for Kaoru and Honey to take their seats. Honey grabs a hold of Kaoru's hand and drags him towards the carriage. Kaoru turns around and waves goodbye to Hikaru as they head towards the ride.

"I refuse to sit anywhere where I can't watch them." Hikaru mumbles, crossing his arms against his chest.

Mori looks at him and nods. "Let's move back in line, then."

They allow the other people in line to cut ahead of them as they count their way back to ensure they get the right seat. Hikaru nervously chews upon his bottom lip as he watches the operator slowly fill up the Ferris Wheel.

"You still love her." Mori mumbles as he eyes Hikaru out of the corner of his eye.

Hikaru blushes. "What makes you think that?"

"You've been nervous around her." Mori says quietly, making Hikaru's blush darken.

"Alright. _Fine._ I'm still in love with her and she's obviously still in love with Tamaki. Happy to know the truth now?" Hikaru barks.

"It's our turn to sit." Mori grunts, elbowing him in the side to get his attention.

Hikaru spots Haruhi and Tamaki sitting silently in their seats and breathes a sigh of relief. He scrambles into the seat and stares straight ahead at Haruhi. Kaoru catches his eye from the seat in front of Haruhi and nods his head before turning back around. The operator locks their lap guards and heads to the controls to start the ride.

Honey stares sideways at Kaoru as he watches Kaoru struggle to sneak glances over his shoulder. He chuckles and pats Kaoru's hand as a gesture of comfort.

"I take it your feelings are back?" Honey asks him gently, watching the corners of his eyes start to tear up.

Kaoru takes a deep breath. "Yeah, since the airport. I got so happy hearing Haruhi ask for a break, my heart felt like it was going to burst."

"Hikaru, too?" Honey eyes him and he nods his head 'yes'.

Kaoru mumbles, "It's so confusing. We're happy that we have a chance at Haruhi. But-" "But, you feel guilty because Tama-chan had to be dumped in order for you guys to go after her." Honey cuts him off.

Nodding his head, small tears begin to form in the corners of Kaoru's eyes. His heart feels heavy as Tamaki's sad face flashes in his mind. Honey frowns and places his hand on his shoulder, patting it gently to help comfort him. Kaoru lays his head against Honey's shoulder as he looks down at the fair grounds below them. Memories of times when he was happy with Haruhi and Tamaki flash in his mind and he frowns.

"I told you before to think about yourself more, remember?" Honey sighs, watching as Kaoru nods his head in acknowledgement, "Haruhi is trying to think about herself, too. The break up may be sad, but it might be needed for all of us to learn something new. Cut yourself some slack, okay?"

Kaoru sniffles and sits up to look at him. "Are you saying I shouldn't feel bad about liking Haruhi, again?"

"No, you shouldn't." Honey says, "You have the right to feel how you want. Tamaki may be our friend, but it doesn't mean you can't still love her simply because he got dumped. I'll root for you and Hika-chan if you do decide to go after her."

A smile lights up Kaoru's face and he blushes as he stares at his friend. "Thank you! I was so worried that it made me a bad friend and brother." Honey chuckles and messes up Kaoru's hair. They share nods of understanding before Kaoru sneaks another glance over his shoulder. "I wonder how Hikaru is doing."

Staring ahead at Haruhi, Hikaru nervously chews upon his thumb as his head runs through the many possible scenarios that could happen between the two exes. Thoughts of them kissing, giggling together, holding one another, and even deciding to get back together stream through his head. He grips his head in frustration and tries to shake away the thoughts as the corners of his eyes tear up.

"How long do you plan to drive yourself crazy for?" Mori says, staring sideways at him.

Hikaru turns towards him and glares. "For as long as it takes me to figure out what to do about Haruhi."

"Go after her." Mori grunts, staring him down as his arms fall to his sides, "What's there to figure out? You have a chance again."

Shaking his head 'no', Hikaru frowns. "I can't go after her. She isn't thinking about love anymore."

"So, you're going to give up?" Mori says, making Hikaru close his eyes in frustration.

"I don't want to give up. But, I can't stand seeing Haruhi and Tamaki so sad." Hikaru mumbles. He looks down at his lap and wipes at his eyes as Haruhi and Tamaki's smiling faces flash in his mind. His thoughts turn to the skiing trip his class went on and he sighs. He had felt bad back then about standing in the way of Haruhi and Tamaki getting together. And now here he is doing the exact same thing all over again.

Sighing, Mori pats him upon the head. "Think about you. Not them."

Hikaru stares at him in shock. "But, they're our friends. I have to put other's needs first before mine, right?"

"Wrong." Mori shakes his head 'no.'

Wiping his eyes off with his fingers, Hikaru smiles slightly at him. "You're saying I should ask her out again?"

Mori nods his head. "Wait til after she's settled things with Tamaki."

Hikaru nods his head in understanding as a wave of relief washes over him. He turns back to watch Haruhi and Tamaki ride together, thinking about how he's going to ask Haruhi out in the future.

Tamaki drags his thumbs across her eyes and wipes away her tears. "Haruhi, why are you crying?"

Shaking her head, Haruhi pulls away from him as the Ferris wheel comes to a stop. Tears stream down her cheeks as the operator approaches their carriage and unlocks their lap guards. Tamaki goes to comfort her and she shakes him away, climbing quickly out of the carriage and towards the exit.

Kaoru watches Haruhi run away from Tamaki, her cheeks streaked with tears. "Haruhi!" He calls after her, wondering what happened.

Tamaki climbs out of the carriage below him and looks up. "I don't know what happened, Kaoru. She just started crying and-"

"Don't worry about it. Just stay away from her and I'll talk to her okay?" Kaoru cuts him off, wishing the ride operator wouldn't take so long to let them off. He starts to chew upon his lip, his leg shaking in anticipation as the operator finally approaches the controls. Honey places a comforting hand upon his shoulder and smiles at him. "It's okay, Kao-chan. Our turn is next." Kaoru nods as the ride slowly starts up and moves their carriage to the bottom.

The operator turns the key and slowly makes his way towards Kaoru and Honey. Kaoru taps the lap guard impatiently as he watches the operator take his sweet time to approach them. "Hurry it up already!" He growls under his breath, worrying about Haruhi as the seconds tick by.

The operator unhitches the guard latch and lets them off. " _Finally!_ " Kaoru shouts, jumping out of the carriage and running for the exit. Honey follows after him, hoping that he catches up to Haruhi.

Looking left and right for the girl he loves, Kaoru finally spots her and runs over to where she is sitting.

He finds Haruhi sitting upon a bench not too far away from the Ferris wheel. She sits slumped over her knees, tear drops falling off of her cheeks to the ground. His heart grows heavy as he watches her sob, wishing he could beat Tamaki up for making her cry. Taking a deep breath, he slowly approaches her.

"Haruhi?" He says gently as he takes a seat beside her.

Sniffling, Haruhi sighs and sits up to look at him. "Hey, Kaoru. What're you doing here?"

"I saw what happened back there." He wraps an arm around her shoulders and pulls her closer. "What happened between you and Tamaki?"

Haruhi frowns. "I'm so confused. I don't know what's wrong with me, Kao."

Kaoru wipes her cheek. "There's nothing wrong with you, Haruhi. You're perfect."

"No, I'm not." Haruhi says, closing her eyes as tears continue falling, "I still love Tamaki, Kaoru."

Kaoru's heart drops. "Are you guys dating again?"

"No. We're not." Haruhi throws her hands over her face in confusion. "I just don't understand. I could tell the feelings weren't there. But, when I kissed him there was a small tingle and-"

"Just go back out with him if you love him still." Kaoru cuts her off, fighting back tears as he feels his heart start to break. "It's obviously what you want to do, Haruhi."

Hearing the sadness in his voice, Haruhi removes her hands from her face and turns to face him. "What's wrong, Kao?"

Kaoru flashes her a painful smile. "It's nothing. Don't worry about me, Haruhi. Let's go patch things up between you and Tamaki."

"No." Haruhi snaps, "We're not doing this again. Tell me what is wrong, Kaoru."

Flinching at her tone, Kaoru frowns. "You should already know what's wrong."

Haruhi glares at him, her heart beating angrily. "Quit messing around, Kaoru. We're not leaving this bench until you talk."

"Alright. Fine." Kaoru crosses his arms and sighs in defeat, "I'm just disappointed that we once again lost to Tamaki."

"You didn't lose to Tamaki because Tamaki hasn't won." Haruhi says sternly, "I'm not going back to Tamaki, because I don't want to."

Kaoru's heart beats happily at her words. "But, you just said you love him."

"I like him as a friend as far as I'm concerned." Haruhi sighs, "I'm not going to date him just because of a tiny little spark."

"So, what're you saying, Haru?" Kaoru asks her curiously.

"If I love him, I want to take my time falling for him. Last time, Mei practically pushed me into dating him." Haruhi explains, "For now, I won't be dating anyone. I just want to take things as they come and see what happens."

"I still have a chance?" Kaoru breathes a sigh of relief. Haruhi nods her head 'yes', giving him a small smile. His pulse starts to race as she stares at him; her smile warming his heart. Unable to control his emotions, he grabs her by the shoulders and brings his lips to hers. Haruhi's breath intakes as he closes his eyes and puts all of his love for her into his kiss. Feeling her heart start to flutter, Haruhi nervously accepts the kiss, blushing as Kaoru's eyes light up.

"I love you, Haruhi." Kaoru says as he slowly pulls away from the kiss, "I don't want to give you up again."

Haruhi swallows back a nervous knot as a similar tingle spreads through her body. She takes a deep breath to calm her nerves before responding to him, "Don't you think you're moving too fast?"

"I wasn't making a move on you, Haruhi." Kaoru mumbles, running his hand through his hair nervously, "I just... couldn't help myself, sorry. It won't happen again, I promise."

Haruhi notices the sadness in his eyes and frowns. "I'm not angry if that's what you're thinking, Kaoru."

"Well, that's a relief." Kaoru sighs, giving her a small smile.

Haruhi returns the smile and places her hand upon his, blushing slightly. "I'm just very confused now, that's all."

Frowning, Kaoru looks away from her. "Guess I just made things worse, huh?"

"You didn't make anything worse, Kaoru." Haruhi reaches up and turns him to face her. "You've just given me something else to think about."

Kaoru blushes as she gently pats him upon the shoulders. "I take it you're feeling better now, Haru?"

Haruhi pulls her hands away and blushes. "Let's go join the others."

Heart fluttering happily, Kaoru grasps her by the hand and gently leads her towards the group of hosts surrounding Kyoya upon the bench. Haruhi spots her friend's worried faces and sighs.

Hikaru spots his brother and Haruhi holding hands and smiles painfully, both happy and jealous of the look of joy upon Kaoru's face. "I'm glad you guys are okay." He rushes up to his brother and Haruhi and throws his arms around them.

"Of course we're okay, Hika." Haruhi chuckles as she stares up at him, "You and Tamaki are a lot alike, you know that?" Hikaru blushes, turning to glare at his brother as Kaoru laughs at him. They pull away from each other as the other hosts approach them.

Tamaki flashes the three of them a small smile. "Who's up for some pizza?" The trio return the smile, nodding their heads 'yes'.

* * *

"Polyamorous" (Haruhi x Tamaki/Hikaru/Kaoru) an AMV I made for this story on Youtube:

/zJorRQdXn3w


	4. Start Today

An evil cackle fills the air and the trio turn to see Renge coming towards them. Behind her a group of regular Host Club clients crowds around them. Renge takes a stand before Haruhi and smirks at her mischievously.

"What's this I see? Could it be possible that you're secretly dating the twins too, Haruhi?" She says, eyeing Haruhi slyly "It's not like you to just randomly show up to school with them." The girls behind her chatter and squeal excitedly much to Haruhi's annoyance. As always, Renge is there to stir up drama.

Haruhi rolls her eyes and pulls away from the twins,"It's not like that. They caught me on my way to school. Is it really so weird to catch a ride with _friends_?"

"But what about Tamaki? What will he think of you hanging with them?" Renge crosses her arms against her chest and smirks. The twins chuckle at her question, hiding their laughs behind their hands.

"What about him?" Haruhi mumbles as she fixes her uniform "It's not like he rules over everything I do."

"Well, you two _are dating_ so I just assumed he'd be jealous, that's all." Renge says nonchalantly with a shrug, hoping to stir up more drama.

Hikaru and Kaoru share mischievous smirks and wrap their arms around each other's shoulders "You see, they're not exactly dating anymore." Haruhi's shoulders droop and she lets out a groan of frustration as she places her hand upon her face. She had thought this first day of school would have gone by peacefully. This is _not_ what she needed on the first day of school.

Haruhi slips on her yellow dress uniform, patting it down and fixing the collar. She stares at herself in the bathroom mirror and runs her fingers through her short bob, not quite used to not having to pose as a boy anymore.

She enters her room and gathers her needed supplies for school, shoving them into her backpack as she prepares herself for a new start.

After these past few days had turned more emotional than she had planned, she was glad to return to school. Studying and learning new things was a great escape for her, especially when it came to things that she didn't have a lot of experience with; love being the newest issue in her life. With her friends fawning over her and her feelings for them completely out of wack, she definitely welcomed the new school year with loving arms. Unfortunately, it would be a lot more quiet this year due to the absence of the four oldest hosts.

She tiptoes past her father's room, chuckling as his loud snores follows her to the front door. Slipping on her usual brown school shoes and pushing open the door, she's greeted by sunshine and weather perfect for walking to school. With a smile, she closes the front door and makes her journey to Ouran High.

Walking down the street, she starts to tell herself to concentrate on school and not romance or dating. After the events of yesterday, it would definitely take her a while before she was comfortable enough to talk to Tamaki about the break up without blubbering like a child. She walks down the street and starts to whistle a little tune as she enjoys the peace and quiet of early morning.

Not more than a block has passed before her whistle dies on her lips; the roaring of a car motor interrupting the serenity of her morning. Frowning, she looks to her side and sees a limo coming to a screeching stop beside the curb not too far from her. "So much for peace and quiet." She mumbles, watching as the limo backs its way up towards her.

She folds her arms across her chest and stops walking. Staring down the limo, she waits for whoever is inside to make a move. The back door opens quickly and two identical faces appear.

" _Har-u-hi,_ get in!" the twins say in sync. She rolls her eyes and sighs, turning around to walk away from their limo.

The twins frown at her back and both shout out again, " _Har-u-hi_ _. Get. In!_ " Understanding that they clearly won't back down, Haruhi gives in.

"Thanks for the ride, _I guess_." She grumbles, scrambling into the limo and taking a seat across from them. Setting her backpack next to her, she stares at them as they slam the door shut and the limo takes off.

They sit in silence as buildings and cars fly past them on their way to school. Eyeing Hikaru, he gives her a small smile before blushing and turning to look out the window. She smirks at how easy it is to make him flustered, finding it slightly entertaining.

Kaoru catches her eye and flashes her a flirty grin as he takes in her appearance. Her body had gained weight and more curves in the three years since she had met the twins. In those years, she couldn't help but notice that they stared at her more with every passing year. She smiles back at him before tucking her dress around herself, growing uncomfortable under his gaze.

"I'm really gonna like this school year, Haruhi." Kaoru says with a wink, "You look so adorable in that dress."

"It could really use tailoring, though." Hikaru says, turning to look at her, "It doesn't flatter your body very well."

"I think it looks fine enough. It's only a school uniform." Haruhi says out loud, shrugging nonchalantly.

"But, we want it to _accentuate_ you, Haruhi." Kaoru says as he runs his eyes over the dress.

"You deserve to wear _only_ the best." Hikaru says, blushing as he copies his brother.

Haruhi shoots a glare at the both of them. "Maybe I should go back to my old uniform, then."

"No!" They shout in unison, making her roll her eyes. She glares at them as they exchange mischievous glances before jumping from their seats to sit on either side of her.

Hikaru throws an arm around her and squeezes her gently. "Still full from that 'all you can eat pizza buffet' last night, Haruhi?" He tries his best to change the subject, not wanting her to bring up the subject of wearing the men's uniform again.

"Can't believe Tamaki forced you to eat so much food." Kaoru chuckles as he wraps his arm around her shoulders, "You shoulda just said no." Kaoru helps continue the subject, enjoying the feeling of having her beside him.

Haruhi sighs. "I think that was just his way of apologizing for what happened at the fair. Cut him some slack, guys."

The twins shrug and cuddle her between them. Haruhi looks from one twin to the other, their eyes closed and small smiles on their lips as they hold her. Despite them having cuddled her like this many times before, she can't help but smile at their attention. Having felt lonely after breaking up with Tamaki, receiving affection from them wasn't as irritating as it used to be. Sighing, she lays her head back on the seat and closes her eyes, waiting for them to arrive at school.

Kaoru draws his mouth close to her ear and whispers softly, "I had a lot of fun yesterday. I hope me and you can do _that_ again."

A small blush creeps into her cheeks as he nuzzles her neck, her mind going back to the kiss her and Kaoru had shared. Hikaru opens his eyes and looks at his brother's blushing face before turning his attention to Haruhi. He notices the nervousness on her face and smirks as he nuzzles into her neck. Haruhi swallows back a nervous knot as she sits there between them. They've done this to her millions of times, so why is she feeling so nervous right now?

The limo soon comes to a slow stop in front of Ouran and Haruhi breathes a sigh of relief. She quickly dislodges herself from their arms and begins gathering her things. The twins frown as they watch her open the back door and jump out.

Adjusting her dress and pulling her backpack higher on her shoulder, Haruhi looks up at Ouran and smiles. "This is it- A new school year at Ouran. A new start." The twins hop out of the limo and come up behind her as she looks on at the school.

Hikaru wraps his arm around her waist and lays his head on her right shoulder. "Don't forget that it's our last year of school too, Haruhi. You excited?"

She looks towards him and frowns. "I am, but it's gonna be weird having just the three of us in the Host Club."

"At least we're together like usual, right? So, other than Host Club, it won't feel as weird." Kaoru takes a stand to her left and rests a hand on her shoulder. "We have new replacement hosts we'll introduce you to later. They'll definitely remind you of the others."

"There's even a few familiar faces that I'm sure you'll recognize." Hikaru adds, trying to cheer her up.

"It still won't be the same. I'm really gonna miss those guys." Haruhi sighs as she thinks about all the silly antics she had in the past with Mori, Honey, Kyoya, and Tamaki. As Tamaki's face flashes in her mind she frowns, trying her best to choke back her guilt over their break up.

The twins notice the sadness in her eyes and cuddle her tightly between them. They kiss the top of her head, bringing her out of her thoughts. She glares up at them, watching them laugh at her irritated face.

Renge's eyes open wide as some of the girls behind her gasp in surprise. The clients begin whispering behind their hands as they stare at the scene before them.

"What _exactly_ happened, Haruhi?" Renge asks, eyeing the trio with suspicion.

Haruhi lets out a huff of irritation as she attempts to walk around Renge. She rolls her eyes as Renge follows her every move, not allowing her to escape.

"We broke up. Now, would you _mind_ letting me pass?" Haruhi says, standing there impatiently with her arms crossed, "I don't want to be late for class."

A buzz of excitement issues forth from the group as they start to chatter loudly about Haruhi's love life. Renge holds up a hand to silence them right as Haruhi walks around her. The twins chuckle and follow after her, some of the girls clinging to them for answers.

"Haruhi, you must tell me everything!" Renge calls after her.

Drowning out the noise by humming loudly, Haruhi makes her way into the school. Maybe if she gets into class they'll leave her alone and forget about all of this.

The twins smirk at the new turn of events as they watch Haruhi walk quickly through the school foyer. The entourage of girls and Renge follow after them, shouting out questions they want answered.

Haruhi reaches the stairs that lead to their classrooms and turns around, glaring down at the others. The twins take a step back, shocked by the angry look on her face. Renge pushes past them and takes a stand on the stair below Haruhi's.

"Can we _please_ not mix school and my relationship? I just want this year to be better." Haruhi says sternly as she looks down at Renge.

"I just want to know what happened. You and Tamaki seemed so happy." Renge says, looking up at her curiously.

Haruhi sighs, "Alright, fine. But, _please_ wait til Host Club at least."

Renge and the other girls squeal with delight as Haruhi finishes climbing the remaining stairs. Hikaru and Kaoru follow after her, looking forward to Host Club even more. Renge dismisses the other girls and follows after them. "Wait for me!"

Entering their homeroom, Renge rushes over to her front desk while the trio takes their usual seats in the back. The twins smile, glad to have Haruhi back after a year of having an empty seat between them. Haruhi adjusts her things upon the desk in an orderly fashion, ready for class to start and not quite looking forward to Host Club thanks to Renge's meddling.

Haruhi approaches 'music room 3' with a big smile on her face, having missed Host Club while away in Boston. Gripping the door handles she remembers the first time she set foot in this room and smiles at the memory. Taking a deep breath, she opens the door and is greeted by bright lights.

" _Hello_ _there_ , _cutie_ _!_ " A long; shaggy blond-haired boy, wearing a somewhat baggy uniform and his shirt un-tucked, stands before her and smirks as he leans against the door frame. "You're our first client of the day. Unfortunately our other hosts have yet to arrive, so you'll have to wait for them to show up. I'd be more than happy to entertain you while we wait, princess."

"Princess?!" She repeats in awe, as she stares up at the boy before her.

He bats his puppy dog eyes and Haruhi bursts into laughter causing him to stare down at her in confusion. He turns around and eyes the other four guys in the room for help and they shrug. As he goes to pat Haruhi to make sure she's not dying, Hikaru and Kaoru show up behind her. He breathes a sigh of relief and smiles at the two boys, begging them for help with his eyes.

"What's going on here, Kazuo?" Kaoru says as he stares at Haruhi cracking up with laughter.

Kazuo panics, "Thank god you're here! I just welcomed her and told her she'd have to wait for you guys to get here and then she just started laughing like a maniac."

Hikaru walks up to her and pats her on the back. "You gonna be okay, Haruhi?"

Haruhi wipes the tears out of her eyes as she tries to compose herself, making the twins chuckle at her. She takes a few deep breaths, looking at the boys in the room as they stare at her in confusion. Holding her chest to calm herself, she takes one last breath and lets it out slowly.

"Sorry, Sorry... he just reminded me of Tamaki so much I couldn't help but laugh." Haruhi giggles, as Kazuo eyes her curiously, "You guys were totally right." She turns to look at the twins and smiles at them happily as she straightens herself out. "I'm so glad to be back in the Host Club."

"Wait a minute- this is _the_ Haruhi that you guys were all crying about last year?" A brown haired boy with thick rimmed glasses and a cleanly pressed uniform walks up to her and stares at her curiously as if examining her like a doctor.

Haruhi stares back at him and smiles sweetly. "My name is Haruhi Fujioka, it's a pleasure to meet you." She holds out her hand to him and he looks at it before shaking it firmly.

Hikaru and Kaoru wrap their arms around her shoulders and lead her into the music room. "Allow us to introduce you to everyone, Haruhi."

Kazuo closes the door and takes a stand beside the other guys in the room. The trio walk up to them and Haruhi looks up at the tall kid beside Kazuo. He stares down at her and smirks, making Haruhi blush.

"You've already met Kazuo Shigeta." Kaoru says, gesturing at the blond boy.

Haruhi chuckles and bows her head to him. "Sorry about before. It's nice to meet you, Kazuo. I look forward to having you in the club."

A smirk spreads across Kazuo's face. "Don't worry about it. It'll definitely be interesting to work with the infamous Haruhi. I swear, between the sad looks on everyone's face whenever someone mentioned your name to Tamaki's tears and the twins here pouting; I almost felt like Host Club wasn't going to survive."

Haruhi blushes and averts her eyes, making Kazuo chuckle as the twins shoot him looks of annoyance. He holds his hands out in surrender as they turn their attention to the boy beside him.

Hikaru lays his head on Haruhi's shoulder and gestures up to the tall kid standing next to Kazuo. "This is Ryoichi Noda, Haruhi. Remind you of anyone?"

Ryoichi looks down at Haruhi and nods his head at her. "Nice to meet ya, Haruhi."

Straining her head, Haruhi looks up into Ryoichi's eyes and smiles. "You as well. I'm glad to have you in the club." She looks sideways at Hikaru and he smirks before drawing his mouth to her ear and whispering, "Totally like Mori, huh?" Haruhi smirks and shakes her head 'yes' as they turn to face the bespectacled boy from before.

"And, this is Masahiro Takizaki." The twins say together as they stare down at the boy before them.

Masahiro pushes his glasses up his nose. "The pleasure is mine. I'll be in charge of finances seeing as my family specializes in banking."

Haruhi smiles as she looks at the Kyoya clone before her. "I look forward to working with you and seeing what you bring to the club."

"Hey, don't forget about us!" comes a very cheerful voice from behind them. The trio turns to face two young boys; both are practically identical to their oldest host friends. Haruhi gasps in surprise, having recognized one of the faces as that of Honey's younger brother.

"Hello, Haruhi. Its been a while." Yasuchika says listlessly.

"Yes, it has been a while since I last saw you. I had no idea you were going to be attending school with us, let alone Host Club." Haruhi says, looking forward to Host Club even more.

"I'm not much younger than the three of you. Of course I'd be here attending school." Yasuchika says with slight irritation. The dark-haired boy beside him slaps a hand over his mouth, chuckling nervously.

"Don't mind him, he's bad at socializing." The boy says, being acknowledged by Haruhi with a nod of her head, "You probably don't recognize me do you, Haruhi?"

Haruhi examines him for a moment before recognition flashes upon her face. "You're Mori's brother, Satoshi, right?" She had met him once, very briefly. So, it was good to have a chance to actually get to know him better.

Satoshi lets out a snort of amusement. "That I am. It's great having you back. I could tell how much everyone missed you."

"It's good to be back. I missed everyone, too." Haruhi says before changing the subject, "What brings you two here to the club?"

"Him and Chika decided to join the Host Club while you were gone." Kaoru explains.

"Something about carrying on the legacy of their brothers." Hikaru shrugs.

"A request which you two shot down instantly." Yasuchika says sternly, glaring daggers at the twins.

"We're not in need of you carrying on their legacy, seeing as we're still here." Kaoru declares, draping his arm off of Haruhi's shoulder.

"Honestly, I can understand where they're coming from. We may be here, but the others still aren't here. It'll be great having them take the place of the others." Haruhi says, making Yasuchika smirk smugly.

"Alright! I knew my brother liked you for a reason." Satoshi says, grabbing Haruhi into a hug and swinging her around excitedly.

"What the hell? Don't just grab onto Haruhi like that!" Hikaru growls, shaking a fist at him.

A delightful laugh escapes Haruhi and Satoshi pulls away, smiling down at her. "I can tell this is going to be a great year!" She flashes him a bright smile and he messes up her hair in agreement.

Having been glad to get her mind off of all the drama, Haruhi had concentrated so much on her lessons that she practically jumps out of her seat when the bell signalling lunch rings through the air. Hikaru chuckles at her while Kaoru stands up beside her to pat her on the head. "You're the only person I know who loses themselves in their studies."

Haruhi gathers her things and puts them into her backpack carefully. "Yes, well, I have a lot of things I'd like to get my mind off of."

"We're just trying to cheer you up, Haruhi." Hikaru says, standing up beside her, "Let's go get some lunch."

They head into the hall together, carrying their books with them as Hikaru contemplates what set he's going to eat for lunch. A group of girls walks past them and giggles as they chatter behind their hands. One of the girls points at them and blushes as her friend whispers something into her ear.

"Did you do anything funny, Hikaru?" Kaoru says, eyeing his brother.

Hikaru returns the look and shrugs. "Not that I know of, why?"

"Because those girls just pointed at us like we did." Kaoru says, looking over his shoulder. Hikaru looks backwards at the group and the girls giggle some more. He turns around and rolls his eyes. "Probably doing what most of the girls around here do when they see us, I guess."

Kaoru messes up Haruhi's hair as they walk. "Our Haru doesn't act that way. That's why we love her."

"Cut it out, Kaoru." Haruhi says, fixing up her hair. Hikaru and Kaoru chuckle as they take turns playing with her hair, walking past a couple of lower-class students. The kids eye them with slight smirks and come to a stop.

"You're Haruhi Fujioka, _right?_ " A scrawny boy says, stopping the trio in their tracks.

Haruhi pats her hair in place and turns to look at him. "Yes, I am. Was there something I could help you with?"

The blond-haired girl beside him wraps her arm around him and scoffs, "Is it true what they're saying? That you,a _commoner,_ dumped Tamaki Suoh?"

Sighing, Haruhi crosses her arms against her chest and gives the girl a nod of her head as she tries her best to ignore her insult. "We mutually agreed to a break. What's so wrong with that?"

"Well, it's just funny that you had to nerve to dump him, that's all." the girl says in a snarky tone, looking down at Haruhi, "Aren't you worried about your scholarship?"

Hikaru and Kaoru glare at the kids and wrap their arms around Haruhi's shoulders protectively. Haruhi feels a little better at their touch and smiles up at them.

"Is there a problem here?" Hikaru says, his blood boiling as he glares at the girl. No one insults Haruhi and gets away with it!

"I don't see how it's any of your business what Haruhi chooses to do with her life." Kaoru states, giving them a cold stare.

The twins wrap their other arms protectively around the front of Haruhi and turn to look at the kids, their eyes aflame with anger. The kids look up at them and decide to back off as the twins give off an evil aura fitting their nickname "Little Devils".

They watch the group of kids walk away down the hallway, smirking evilly at them before turning their attention back to Haruhi. She stares up at them and gives them a pained smile, her eyes reflecting internal hurt.

"Are you okay, Haruhi?" Hikaru says, bringing his face closer to hers.

Haruhi nods her head 'yes', upset over the rumors of her break-up running around the school. "I just wanted to start this year off on a good foot. How did these rumors spread this quickly?"

Kaoru snuggles his head against hers. "We don't know who's spreading them, but we'll try to put a stop to them. Okay Haru?"

Haruhi smiles up at them happily, blushing as they peck her on the cheeks.

"We're your best friends. Isn't that what we're supposed to do?" They pull away from her and offer her their hands. She giggles happily and grips both of their hands, glad that she doesn't have to deal with this new drama alone. The three of them walk down the hall, trying their best to ignore the whispers or gestures at them as they head to lunch together.

When the bell for clubs to begin rings, Haruhi practically runs out of the lunch room like a cheetah. Hikaru and Kaoru try to catch up to her, hoping that Host Club isn't as rumor filled as the rest of the school.

"Well, guys, looks like club should be starting any minute." Ryoichi says, tapping the watch on his wrist. At that, everyone heads into the music room to ready themselves for the start of a new year of Host Club.

"Can Haruhi really be a host in a dress?" Yasuchika grumbles, crossing his arms against his chest.

"I finished my second year hosting in a dress before I left for Boston." Haruhi says, "I don't see how it'll hurt."

Kazuo shrugs. "Good enough of an answer for me. Let's just see how you do as a host after being gone a year, Haruhi."

Haruhi flashes him a playful grin. "They didn't call me the _natural_ host for no reason." She winks mischievously and Kazuo grabs at his chest dramatically.

"Be still my beating heart! _I think I'm in love!_ " Kazuo pretends to fall to his knees, prompting Haruhi to snicker quietly. The twins shoot him angry looks and he shakes his head, smiling with amusement as he stands back up.

"Alright. Places, please." Masahiro says, clapping his hands in the air to silence them. They turn to face the doors to the music room, putting on smiles as the doors open.

"Welcome!" They all say together. The squeals and chatter of excited young girls answers them as a wave of yellow clad students pushes its way into the music room.

Masahiro asks for the girls to form a line before him as he pulls out a notebook and begins to take their money; directing them to the host of their choice. Haruhi and the other hosts take their places upon their favorite couches or chairs and patiently await their clients.

Haruhi smooths out her dress and sighs, glad to be back at Ouran. Some of her favorite clients from before approach her happily and surround her on the couch. She smiles happily at them, thanking them for giving her a warm welcome.

"How was Boston, Haruhi?" a redhead girl asks her.

Haruhi prepares herself for all sorts of questions and smiles. "It was interesting. I loved the sights and the school, but it definitely doesn't compare to here."

The girls giggle as she answers their many different questions about America and the school she went to. As she tells them her experiences, a bunch of new girls start filing in on the couches around her and listen in as she finishes her stories. Haruhi acknowledges them, welcoming them to Host Club and thanking them for being her guests.

A young blond haired girl smiles at her before asking her a question, "You're the one everyone's talking about. They said you dated Tamaki Suoh, but dumped him, right?"

Haruhi frowns. "Isn't there something else you'd like to talk about? I'd prefer not to mix school with my private life."

"Oh, _please_ tell us!" the girls around her beg, "We'd rather hear it from you than from rumors."

Haruhi chuckles. "Well, how can I say no to such sweet girls like yourselves?"

They squeal happily before settling down as they wait for Haruhi to talk to them. Sighing, Haruhi asks them what they'd like to know about, trying her best not to become too upset in front of them.

The same blond-haired girl goes first. "So, why did you two break up?"

Taking a deep breath, Haruhi answers, "Well, you see, I... my feelings seemed to have just disappeared. I don't know if that makes any sense to you, but that's it."

The girls around her nod their heads, looking at one another as they all take in this new piece of information.

"Do you two ever plan on getting back together?" a girl with bright freckles asks her.

Haruhi smiles sadly. "I honestly don't know. It's going to take some time for me to figure things out."

Not too far from them, the twins are busy messing each other's hair up as they perform their brotherly love act for new and old clients. They overhear Haruhi's guests mentioning the break up and eye the group of girls across the way from them. Frowns spread upon their lips as they stare at Haruhi, noticing her eyes glossing over with tears.

"What's it like to fall in love, Haruhi?" a bespectacled young girl asks her.

Haruhi chokes up a little, feeling her heart grow heavy as memories of her and Tamaki flash in her mind.

She swallows back her sadness as she starts to talk, "For me, it was amazing. I felt happy and calm and giddy all at the same time."

Hikaru and Kaoru excuse themselves from their guests and stand up together. They quickly cut through the group of girls surrounding them and come to a stand behind Haruhi. Haruhi's clients look up and giggle as they stare at the identical boys above her.

Haruhi smiles as they place comforting hands upon her shoulders, thankful for the interruption.

"I think Host Club is almost over, ladies." Hikaru says, gently gripping Haruhi's shoulder.

"It was lovely having you all come and see us. We hope to see you in the future." Kaoru says, copying his brother.

Some of Haruhi's guests bid her goodbye, thanking her for a good time. A few girls remain, staring at Haruhi as they contemplate asking her questions. One young brown-haired girl scoots closer to Haruhi and nervously looks at her.

"Could a possible other man be the reason you lost your feelings for Tamaki?" She asks her, much to her surprise.

Haruhi's jaw drops in shock and a few guest from around the room look at them as the surrounding girls begin to chatter wildly. The twins blush as they think about Haruhi dumping Tamaki for them, staring down at their friend below them.

The crackle of electricity fills the air as a metal platform starts to rise out of the center of the Host Club. Haruhi groans and rolls her eyes as Renge appears, cackling evilly.

"I didn't dump Tamaki because of another man." Haruhi mumbles, "I may have others who are in love with me, but I myself only had eyes for Tamaki at the time."

The remaining girls, including the one who asked the question, run off in excitement as the rumor of Haruhi leaving Tamaki for another man starts to spread around the room.

Renge laughs as this newest rumor reaches her ears and she starts to take bets. "Winner gets the whole money pool. Guess which man Haruhi is in love with and you're the winner!" The host club guests surround her and start handing her money.

The twins share looks of acknowledgement, realizing they should act when they can before one of Haruhi's many suitors snatches her up before them. They look down at her and frown as they notice her sitting quietly. Haruhi sits there on the couch, her hands gripping her dress tightly as she closes her eyes and tries to shut out all the annoying rumors being spread around her.

"I was trying my hardest not to think about love or dating and now they've gone and ruined the day." She says quietly.

Hikaru and Kaoru jump over the back of the couch and take seats on both sides of her. They grab a hold of her and cuddle her on the couch as she sits there pretending that Renge is not behind her taking bets based on her love life.

"We'll stop this rumor too, okay, Haruhi?" Kaoru says, laying his head on her shoulder.

She looks sideways at him and thanks him with a small smile. He smiles at her before closing his eyes, wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

Hikaru turns her to face him and blushes. "Don't be afraid to refuse to talk about anything that upsets you. And, if you have to, we'll always be here for you, Haruhi."

"I'm glad to have friends like you." She says quietly, laying the her head against Hikaru's. He turns bright red and buries his face in her sleeve, hiding his embarrassment. She chuckles at him as he wraps his arm around her shoulder. They cuddle together until the last guest is escorted out of the room and the doors are shut.

"That was a very profitable day." Masahiro says as he looks over his small notebook. "I guess Haruhi is a good addition to the club after all."

Kazuo walks over to the three teens upon the sofa and smirks,"Well, _lookie here,_ maybe the rumors aren't too far fetched."

Haruhi pulls away from the twins and turns to glare at him. "They're not true. There never was another man!"

"I know. I just figured I'd get you worked up so you'd quit being so sad." He says, smirking down at her, "Those girls love asking really personal questions. _Sheesh_."

"No kidding." Haruhi says, sighing as she stands up from the couch, "Seems like some of them came just so they could ask me questions."

Hikaru and Kaoru stand up beside her at the same time. "Gossip spreads like fire in Ouran, if you can't tell."

"Yeah, well, good job you three. See you tomorrow?" Kazuo says, waving goodbye at them. The three of them return the waves as they head over to join the other hosts. Renge chuckles as she counts the bet money and pockets it with a smirk on her face. Haruhi glares at her and she gives her a nervous smile, running her hands through her hair.

"Hey, Haruhi. _Great_ to have you back." She says, flashing her a goofy grin.

Haruhi frowns. "Are you the one spreading the rumors? You're making money off my private life and it's annoying."

"I'm not spreading them, but I couldn't resist. Sorry, but the opportunity presented itself." Renge shrugs, patting her pockets.

"Ugh. I don't wanna deal with you right now." Haruhi says, turning away from her. She bids goodbye to the others before heading out the door of the music room. The twins say their goodbyes and follow her out.

As Haruhi heads into the hall, she bumps into Tamaki. Blinking up at him in shock, she quickly lets out a stutter, "W-what're you doing here, Senpai?"

"I work here as a counselor." Tamaki says with a smile, eyeing the twins, "Didn't Hikaru and Kaoru tell you?"

Haruhi turns to look at them and they shrug in sync. "Sorry Haru, we forgot to tell you."

"It's good to see you again, Haruhi." Tamaki says, blushing slightly as he looks into Haruhi's eyes.

Haruhi averts her eyes. "You as well, Senpai."

They stand there in awkward silence for a few moments before he pulls her into a hug. Haruhi takes a deep breath and returns the hug. The twins watch on jealously, hoping that nothing good comes from them being together again. As quickly as it had started, it ends as Haruhi pulls away from him.

"If you work here, perhaps it's best to remain professional, Senpai." She says nervously.

Tamaki frowns and runs a hand through his hair. "I guess I should, huh? Sorry, Haruhi."

The twins feel the awkward air between them and cough nervously. Tamaki looks up at them and smiles happily. "Hikaru, Kaoru, How was school and Host Club?"

They shrug together with small smiles on their faces. "Both went surprisingly well, Boss. How's your job going?"

"As well as it can be." Tamaki says with a smile, "I have to get back to work. I just came to see how your day went before you left for home. Take care of yourselves, okay?"

The three of them nod their heads as a promise, watching him head down the hallway opposite of the foyer. Once he disappears up a flight of stairs, they make their way to the foyer together to head home.

"Well, that makes today even more awkward." Haruhi sighs as they head down the stairs together.

"Sorry we didn't tell you before school started, Haruhi." Hikaru frowns as he looks down at the small girl beside him.

"We just figured you didn't want to talk about him after what happened yesterday." Kaoru says as he grabs for her hand.

"It's fine. I'm just gonna have a lot to think about while walking home today." Haruhi shrugs as they approach the front entrance to Ouran.

"Why don't you let us pick you up and drop you off every night, Haruhi?" the twins say in sync, "We don't want our Haruhi walking alone on these streets."

Haruhi frowns. "Are you guys sure? I don't want to impose upon you or anything."

" _Impose?_ " Kaoru chuckles.

"We're your friends, Haruhi. We _want_ to do this." Hikaru says with a smile.

"Alright, then. Thanks, you guys." Haruhi says happily.

They quickly make their way across campus towards the Hitachiin limo. As they approach the vehicle, Kaoru runs up and grabs the door for them. He winks at Haruhi as she climbs in and chuckles at Hikaru as he nervously admires her from behind. He flashes Hikaru a sly grin only to have him scowl at him as he scrambles in after Haruhi. Kaoru follows suit, shutting the door behind him.

Scenery passes by them quickly as the driver makes his way to Haruhi's apartment complex. The two boys smile at her as she sits across from them, deep in thought.

"What're you thinking about, _Har-u-hi_?" Kaoru asks as he watches her chew upon her lip.

Haruhi shakes away her thoughts and looks over at him. "I was just thinking that him being a counselor might actually be a good thing."

"Oh? Why's that?" Kaoru says, still eyeing her lip curiously.

"Well, he won't be able to touch me or cling to me, much." Haruhi explains, "So, that'll give me some time to learn to face him without getting upset since we have to remain professional. That way, if I have to be around him outside of school, I'll be ready and I won't be so emotional."

"That sounds like a good thing, then." Hikaru says, staring into her eyes.

Silence soon takes them and they continue staring at one another without talking, the only sound being that of the outside world. Moments later, Kaoru decides to break the silence, a slight blush to his cheeks.

"So, Haruhi, did yesterday change anything for you?" He asks her nervously.

Hikaru eyes his brother curiously before turning to look at Haruhi. She chews on her lip again, a slight blush creeping into her cheeks.

"Well, I already discovered I still like Tamaki." She says, watching both boys across from her frown in sync, before continuing on, "I know you guys love me and I really like you guys, but I'm not sure exactly _how_ I feel about any of this. It's confusing because it feels like I'm being pressured to decide, now."

Kaoru sighs. "We're not pressuring you to do anything, Haruhi."

"We love you because we do." Hikaru says quietly, "We don't expect you to choose anyone right now."

She smiles happily at both of them as the limo comes to a stop outside of her complex.

"Thank you for understanding." She says, reaching forward and caressing them both on the cheeks before heading out of the limo. Both of their hearts flutter like crazy. Having Haruhi initiate things is going to take time to get used to.

The twins watch her leave and share looks of understanding, agreeing to both go after her so they'll have a better chance of winning her heart.

Haruhi steps into the house and is greeted by her dad. Ranka comes out of his room, getting ready for work. "Welcome home, dear. How'd school go today?"

"It was interesting to say the least." Haruhi says as she kicks her shoes off and sets her bag beside the door.

"There were a lot of calls from Tamaki while you were gone." He says, eyeing her curiously, "Did anything happen between you two?"

Haruhi sighs as she makes her way towards her dad, heading towards his room, "Me and Tamaki broke up at the airport. It's been nothing but drama since then."

Ranka fixes his hair. "I'm sorry to hear that, dear. I guess sometimes it doesn't work out. As long as you're doing what's right for you, then that's all that matters."

"Thanks for listening to me, dad." She says, "This whole relationship thing is so confusing."

Ranka turns towards her and places a kiss on her forehead. "You can come talk to me whenever you want to okay, dear? I know a thing or two about dating."

Haruhi nods her head and walks her dad out for work, bidding him goodbye as she shuts the door behind him. Her cell phone rings and she pulls it out of her dress pocket, sighing as the caller I.D. shows Tamaki's name. Taking a deep breath, she clicks the green phone icon and holds the phone up to her ear.

"Hey, Haruhi, how was your day?" Tamaki says happily.

"It was okay. It definitely didn't go how I expected it to." She frowns. "So, when did you start working at Ouran?"

"Father gave me the job after I graduated." He says simply, "It was my graduation gift from him."

"I see. Well, thanks for checking up on me, Senpai." Haruhi says, trying to end the conversation quickly.

"Hey, Haruhi, before you go would you mind answering something for me?" Tamaki mumbles.

Haruhi sighs. "What is it?"

"I heard this odd rumor going around the school that says you broke up with me for another man. Is that true?" Tamaki asks her quietly.

"No, there never was another man." Haruhi rolls her eyes. " _Goodnight_ , Tamaki."

She clicks the red phone icon and closes her phone, chuckling at how fast the newest rumor spread. With a sigh, she sets her phone down and readies herself to begin homework. Hopefully her studies will clear her mind and prepare her for the next day at school.

* * *

"Polyamorous" (Haruhi x Tamaki/Hikaru/Kaoru) an AMV I made for this story on Youtube:

/zJorRQdXn3w


	5. Hot to the Touch

Staring down at the dress in her hands, Haruhi sighs. "I can't believe you actually made me a new uniform."

"What are you waiting for?" The twins say in sync, "Go try it on!" They turn her around and push her towards her bedroom.

She walks through the doorway into her room and sets the new uniform down upon her bed. The two boys stand there behind her and smirk mischievously as she crosses her arms and waits for them to leave.

"Let us help you change, _Har-u-hi_." Hikaru purrs into her ear, sending a slight chill down her spine.

Her cheeks warm up as Kaoru copies his brother's actions. "We'd _love_ to play dress up with you, _Har-u-hi_."

Irritated by the effect they're having on her, Haruhi turns around and glares at them. They eye her playfully with sly smiles upon their faces as she angrily points towards the living room "Out! I don't need help dressing, you _perverts_." They chuckle as they exit her room and she slams the door shut, grumbling something about ' _rich bastards_ '.

As Haruhi removes her dress, her shadow plays upon her thin paper door. Hikaru and Kaoru blink in shock, their hearts beating wildly as they watch her shadow slowly remove its dress. Gawking on in amazement, Hikaru feels his pulse race through his veins; thanking commoners for having paper doors. Following the shadow's every move with his eyes, Kaoru's mind begins conjuring up fantasies.

Moments later Haruhi appears in a more form fitting dress than the one from before. The two boys stare at her in awe, their cheeks red as they watch her pull at the fabric around her curves. Haruhi mumbles complaints under her breath as she stands before them and tugs at her dress.

"Why does it have to be so tight?" she says, staring down at herself.

Letting out a groan of irritation, her fingers slide over her chest as she picks at the tight fabric. Hikaru grips his hands into fists, swallowing back a nervous knot at the sweet ache currently growing in his pants.

Knowing full-well that she has no idea how good she looks nor does she realize how much touching herself is teasing them, Kaoru bites his lip in frustration as pictures Haruhi in his mind.

Haruhi gives up and looks up at them, blushing as they gawk at her in astonishment. Taking their looks as a bad sign, she crosses her arms against her chest as if to cover herself up. "If I look that bad, I'll go change." Her dress twirls around her body as she turns to head back into her room.

"Haruhi, wait-" Hikaru stutters, breaking himself out of his daze.

"You look... beautiful." Kaoru stammers, licking his dry lips.

Haruhi lets out an apprehensive chuckle, unable to take their compliments as she turns back around to face them. The two boys eye each other, unsure of what to say next. An awkward silence weighs down on them as they wait for someone to speak or make a move, the three of them standing there quietly. Playing with the hem of her dress, Haruhi hesitantly meets Hikaru's gaze and he quickly looks away. Her eyes then meet Kaoru's and he flashes her a dazzling smile, causing her heart to beat like crazy.

Clearing her throat, Haruhi breaks the silence as she begins to gather her things. "I, uh, think it's time we get going to school. Don't want to be late, now do we."

"So, you're going to wear our uniform?" Kaoru says, blinking in astonishment.

Haruhi smiles sheepishly. "Of course. You had it made for me. Why would I get rid of a present?" The boys feel their hearts threaten to burst from their chests as she walks past them and heads for the door. She opens it and kicks on her shoes. "Well? Let's go."

They head out the door together and she shuts it behind them, watching as the twins race each other down the stairs to their limo in an attempt to hide their nervousness. Haruhi throws her backpack on and follows after them, pulling at her dress in irritation as it rides higher up her waist with every step.

Hikaru opens the door for Kaoru, gazing at Haruhi coming down the stairs. The light shining down on her makes her appear as if she were an angel. She thanks him with a nod of her head and slides into the limo after Kaoru. He shakes his head to clear his thoughts and hops in beside his brother, slamming the door shut as the limo takes off towards Ouran High.

The two boys try their best not to stare at Haruhi as they sit there in silence. Haruhi sits across from them and fiddles with her hands in her lap, occasionally glancing at the quiet boys across from her. They shoot her small smiles as they twiddle their fingers in their laps, trying their best not to think about her shadow show from before. Haruhi grins and looks out the window, not quite bothered by their lack of flirting.

Coming to a stop, the limo drops the three teens off out front of their school. Hikaru offers Haruhi his hand and helps her out of the limo, nervously watching her dress twirl around her. Kaoru climbs out behind them and pats them both on the shoulder before they head together through the campus. The two boys smiling pridefully, glad to have Haruhi beside them.

They pass a group of girls chatting away with Renge and cringe as the girls squeal excitedly. Renge spots Haruhi's dress and gasps, noticing it to be a Hitachiin original. A few of the girls grab at Haruhi's dress and examine the intricate details and threading. Haruhi rolls her eyes as a blond-haired girl pulls on her arm roughly to examine the sleeve.

Hikaru and Kaoru wrap their arms around Haruhi's shoulders and smile. "Our mother made this dress personally. If you'd like to custom order something we'd be happy to help you ladies." A few of the girls giggle as the twins pull business cards out of their pockets and offer them some.

Renge eyes the three of them and starts chuckling with glee. " _Ohmigosh!_ You left Tamaki for the twins, didn't you?!"

Haruhi lets out a growl of irritation and face-palms herself in embarrassment. Hikaru and Kaoru blush, eyeing each other nervously out of the corner of their eyes as the girls around them start to chatter excitedly at the new gossip.

Bringing her face close to Hikaru's, Renge smirks evilly. "Haruhi left Tamaki cause she actually loves you, huh?"

Hikaru's face turns a brighter shade of red and he looks away from her, biting his lip nervously. "I don't know what you're talking about." He rolls his eyes knowing that that would never happen.

Renge comes around and draws her attention towards Kaoru. "It's true, isn't it?"

"Don't be silly, nothing's going on between us." Kaoru snorts. Although, secretly he wishes there was.

Haruhi pulls away from the girls in frustration, grabbing a hold of the twins and dragging them through the crowd. Renge frowns and follows after them, the girls crowding around them as they head towards class.

Hikaru and Kaoru smile in enjoyment, reveling in the the new rumor. The thought of people thinking of them as Haruhi's lovers makes them giddy as they follow after Haruhi through the foyer. They contemplate what it would be like to be with her, making the girls around them giggle as they take their shyness as a sign that the rumor is true.

The crowd slowly dissipates as they approach the classroom, Haruhi sighing in relief as she heads through the doorway. The twins try to hide their flushed faces as they follow behind her.

"I'll see you three lovebirds in Host Club!" Renge says happily as she rushes over to her desk.

Haruhi rolls her eyes and takes her seat, glaring daggers towards Renge for making another day turn bad. The twins take their seats around her and shoot her sideways glances, wondering how she feels about them. Haruhi begins unpacking her things angrily, glaring at Renge as she goes.

Kaoru places his things upon his desk. " _Relax_ , Haruhi, we're going to stop these rumors."

Haruhi eyes him out of the corner of her eye. "Yeah, well, I wish they never happened in the first place."

"Are you angry because they're saying you're with us?" Hikaru asks her, frowning slightly.

"No, it's not because of that, Hika." Haruhi sighs, staring straight ahead at their teacher "Let's just forget about this for now and concentrate on class."

"Step right up, ladies! A thousand yen buys you a bid." Renge shouts, happily taking money from the group of girls surrounding her, "Guess which twin Haruhi left Tamaki for. The winner with the most bets takes the pool." Squeals of excitement echo through the music room as the girls crowd closer to Renge with money in hand.

"Ladies, you need to form a single file line." Masahiro says, clapping his hands loudly in the air. The girls around him groan as they try their best to form a line.

Haruhi sighs in irritation, flashing the clients around her a slight smile as she tries her best to ignore the bets happening right behind her. First it was just a rumor that she left Tamaki for another man and now her friends are being dragged into this; friends that she never had feelings of love for in the first place.

A red-haired girl takes a sip of her tea and sets the teacup down upon the coffee table. "Haruhi, how have you been doing since the break-up?"

The girls around her eye her curiously and Haruhi frowns. "I'm doing alright, I guess. I've talked with the other hosts and they understand the breakup, too." A bright smile involuntarily flashes upon her face as she continues, "Luckily I have the twins supporting me, so I'm not alone while I deal with it." She blushes slightly as she eyes the two boys across the room out of the corner of her eye.

Chuckles and curious glances are sent her way as she blushes before them. A dark-haired girl turns to her and smirks as she notices her watching the twins mid-act. "So there is something going on between you and the Hitachiin Twins?" Haruhi looks at her in shock and shakes her head 'no' quickly.

Hikaru and Kaoru pause their brotherly love act to stop and look sideways at Haruhi and her guests. The girls around them take note of this and start to gossip behind their hands and into each other's ears as the twins watch Haruhi become nervous from questions asked about them.

Haruhi lets out a deep breath, trying not to show her annoyance or nervousness at their questions. "There isn't anything going on between us. I'm currently not interested in relationships or love. I just want to focus on my studies and take life as it comes."

Frowning, Hikaru looks away and Kaoru sighs, comforting his brother with a hug. Some of the girls around them giggle and squeal over their affection for each other.

The girl smiles at Haruhi, enjoying the gossip as another girl decides to take her place in the questioning. "Either way, you can't deny the fact that the twins clearly have a thing for you." She points at the two boys with her thumb and the others look towards the brothers.

The twins overhear this and blush, turning their heads away right as Haruhi looks at them. They stare at each other with joy and lay their foreheads together nervously.

Blinking at them in confusion, Haruhi takes a sip of her tea before setting it down. "Well, yes. Both the twins and Tamaki have told me they love me. While I'm flattered by their feelings, I just don't care for any of that right now."

A few of the girls around her giggle and walk off towards Renge. Haruhi sighs and watches as they whisper in Renge's ear and Renge instantly squeals with joy.

"Change of bets! We are now betting on who gets Haruhi first; Tamaki, Hikaru, or Kaoru! Place your bets, ladies. A love triangle is about to unfold." Renge announces, making the girls around the room chatter with delight. A groan of irritation issues forth from Haruhi and a pair of arms wraps around her. She looks up to spy Kazuo smirking down at her.

"Don't let it get ya down, Haruhi. You're too cute to let these rumors bother you." He says, laying his head upon hers.

Haruhi blushes and sits still, allowing him to continue cuddling her as she attempts to ignore the chaos around her. "Just another _wonderful_ day of Host Club."

Hikaru glares at Kazuo jealously and Kaoru smirks, trying to pull his attention away from the scene. The girls run around wildly as gossip and money are thrown about.

Finally, after what feels like forever, the bell signalling the end of Host Club rings and Haruhi releases a sigh of relief.

"Looks like you've survived another day, princess." Kazuo says, winking at her as she pulls out of his grip and stands up. She thanks her guests and bids them goodbye before turning towards Kazuo. "Thanks for the support." He flashes her a dazzling smile. "Anything for you, cutie." Haruhi rolls her eyes as he walks off, waving at her over his shoulder.

Hikaru and Kaoru excuse themselves and rush over to Haruhi, hoping to catch her before she decides to leave.

"Hey, _Har-u-hi_ ," the twins say in sync, approaching her happily, "Do you wanna come to our house to study tonight?"

Haruhi turns towards them. "I'll gladly come with you guys. Just get me away from all these rich bastards."

Hikaru and Kaoru smile brightly as they escort her to their limo, the three of them ignoring the glances and chatter directed towards them as they head through the school.

A couple of clients giggle about them as they reach the limo, pointing out that the rumors really are true. Haruhi becomes upset by them pointing this out and pulls away from the twins, crawling nervously into the backseat. Hikaru and Kaoru exchange sad glances and scramble in after her, making the girls behind them squeal with delight. They slam the door shut and the limo drives off quickly.

Haruhi packs up her things quickly as the bell for lunch rings, wanting to avoid Renge as much as possible.

"So, Haruhi, what's for lunch?" Kaoru says, smiling at her as he stands up beside her.

Haruhi ignores him as she hurriedly shoves things into her backpack, wishing for some simple peace and quiet this time around.

Kaoru frowns at his brother and Hikaru stands up beside her. "You're sure in a hurry to get somewhere. What have you got planned, Haruhi?"

Haruhi gets the remainder of her school supplies into her bag and throws her backpack onto her shoulder. The twins frown as they watch her head for the door without them.

"Haruhi, wait for us!" they call out, saddened as she leaves them behind.

Glad to be away from Renge, Haruhi rushes down the hall in the hopes of finding a quiet place for lunch. As she heads down the hallway towards the gardens, she runs straight into Tamaki. He chuckles as he prevents her from falling, blushing slightly as they stare at one another. Haruhi gives him a nervous smirk and stands before him, trying her best to forget the awkwardness between them. They stand there chewing on their lips nervously, waiting for the other to make the first move or talk first.

Tamaki smiles at her and pats her on the head. "Did you want to spend lunch together? I was heading to the gardens myself." He shakes his small bento box at her.

Haruhi nods her head and smiles at him. "Sure, I don't see why not."

They walk side by side together towards the gardens in silence. Haruhi ignores the glances and whispers aimed at her as they walk out the doors to the gardens.

"So, I heard some new rumors today." Tamaki says hesitantly as they make their way to the veranda, "Something about you leaving me for the twins?"

Haruhi sighs. "Please ignore any rumors you hear from now on. I can assure you they're not true."

Tamaki smirks at her as they arrive at the veranda. "I wasn't doubting you, Haruhi. I just found it amusing, that's all."

They both take seats upon the bench in the veranda and Haruhi starts to dig around her backpack for her lunch. Tamaki sets his bento box upon his lap and starts to unwrap it. Haruhi removes a small container of noodles from her backpack and pours a packet of soy sauce upon them.

"How's your job been treating you, Senpai?" Haruhi says, spooning some noodles into her mouth.

Tamaki swallows a bite of rice and replies, "It's going well enough. I get plenty of kids in my office throughout the day asking me for advice and questions."

"That's because they saw how well you handled the Host Club." Haruhi smiles, making Tamaki blush brightly. "You truly are a father figure." Her mind wanders to the good ole days of Host Club and she sighs, wishing Kyoya, Honey, and Mori were there, too.

"Thank you, Haruhi. That means a lot to me." Tamaki says, smiling painfully at her. He takes another bite of his rice and they eat in silence for a few minutes. Haruhi finishes her noodles and places the container in her backpack. She pulls out some rice balls and begins snacking on them as she stares out at the grounds before them.

"How's school been treating you so far?" Tamaki says quietly, trying to ignore the pain in his heart.

Haruhi watches some pollen dance through the air. "Aside from the rumors and irritating entourage of gossipers, it's been going pretty well."

"It's good to have you back here at Ouran." Tamaki says with a smile, "I can tell everyone is happier."

A slight blush crawls into Haruhi's cheeks. "There's no need for flattery, Senpai. I'm just glad to be back regardless of how others feel."

Tamaki offers her some of his fancy tuna and she smiles, happily picking up a piece and popping it into her mouth. He watches her savor the taste and blushes as she licks her lips happily. He messes up her hair and takes another bite of his rice, chuckling as she smiles back at him.

"You're wearing a new dress, aren't you?" He says, cautiously eyeing her uniform, "Did the twins make it?"

Haruhi blushes. "They had their mother make it for me. Something about _only the best for me_."

Tamaki frowns. "You seem to have gotten closer to them since the break up."

"Yes, I have. Is there something _wrong_ with that?" Haruhi eyes him suspiciously.

"Well, it's just these rumors have me thinking that maybe they were part of the reason we broke up." Tamaki says quietly, averting his eyes to the ground.

Haruhi sets her food down and glares at him. "They didn't break us up. I didn't even have feelings for them when we were dating. They're my friends, that's all." She feels anger boiling up inside of her, irritated by the fact that he's stirring up drama.

"I'm sorry. I was just wondering, that's all." Tamaki stutters quickly, trying his best not to anger her.

"I think I'm done eating lunch." Haruhi says sternly, her jaw set tightly with anger.

"Well, at least let me apologize for all the trouble I've caused recently." Tamaki sighs and runs a hand through his hair. Haruhi starts to pack up her lunch, irritated that their conversation has yet again ended on a sour note. "I think I should start heading towards the music room. We're done talking for today, _Tamaki_." Tamaki takes note of her anger and lets out a nervous laugh.

"Let me walk you back." Tamaki says quickly as he packs up his bento box "It's the least I can do seeing as I've yet again messed up."

They rise at the same time and head back into the building in silence. Haruhi frowns as they walk together, irritated by the awkwardness building between them once again. As they head towards the music room, Hikaru and Kaoru arrive at the opposite end of the hall.

"Thanks for eating lunch with me." Haruhi says, sighing in annoyance as Tamaki gives her a quick hug. The twins watch on jealously, frowning as Tamaki blushes and bids her goodbye. Haruhi watches him leave and prepares herself for Host Club, not looking forward to the rumors that are sure to be the subject for today's conversations.

Hikaru and Kaoru approach her, pretending they hadn't seen her with Tamaki.

"Ready for another day of Host Club, Haruhi?" Kaoru says with a forced smirk. Hikaru frowns as she shoots them a look of irritation.

"I'm curious to see what the newest bet on my love life is." Haruhi sighs, glaring at the music room door.

Haruhi crosses her arms as she stares at them from across the limo. "It's only been two days and already I'm irritated with school. These rumors are annoying. They sure don't help with the stress from the break-up."

"We're really sorry about the rumors, Haru." Hikaru mumbles as he stares at her.

Kaoru runs a hand through his hair. "We really are going to try to get them to stop. Just bear with us, alright?" Haruhi lets out a sigh of frustration as she nods her head in response.

They sit in silence for a few moments, twiddling their thumbs as they stare at one another. Haruhi turns to look out the window at the passing scenery as she thinks about today's events, deciding that she probably should get used to having crazy school days until these rumors die down.

"So, how was your lunch, Haruhi?" Kaoru asks her, breaking the silence and drawing her out of her thoughts.

Shrugging, Haruhi turns towards them. "It was okay, I guess. Me and Tamaki just talked about work and these stupid rumors that are going around." Kaoru and Hikaru feign smiles as they listen to her discuss her lunch. "He seemed to be really jealous of you guys all because I'm wearing the clothes you made me." Haruhi chuckles nervously, realizing that wearing their clothes probably isn't helping her case.

"Tamaki this and Tamaki that." Hikaru barks, surprising Haruhi with his outburst, "Rub it in our faces, why don't you?" She notices the sadness and irritation in their eyes and frowns. "Sorry if I upset you guys. I just needed someone to talk to about all this."

"You have us you can talk to." Hikaru crosses his arms in frustration. "Sometimes it just feels like you give Tamaki a lot more attention."

"Shut up, Hikaru." Kaoru hisses, elbowing him in the side, "Knock it off." He turns towards Haruhi and smiles sweetly. "You don't need to apologize, Haru. We're here to listen to anything you have to say whether we like it or not. That's what supports are for." Hikaru frowns at him and he eyes him angrily out of the corner of his eye.

"Thanks, Kao." Haruhi says, smiling softly at him. He nods his head at her before turning his attention to his brother. "Hikaru, dontcha have anything you'd like to say to Haruhi?" Hikaru rolls his eyes and sighs in defeat. "Sorry, I guess." Haruhi shoots him a small smile. "Thanks, Hika." He blushes and mumbles in embarrassment before turning away to look out the window.

They arrive at the Hitachiin manor quicker than expected and hop out together in silence. The twins escort her into their dining room and start to set out their books and notepads upon the long wooden table. Haruhi takes a seat at the foot of the table and starts to take things out of her backpack, arranging them upon the table. The twins smirk at her professionalism and take their seats on either side of her. Haruhi starts to work on some history questions while the two take turns copying her notes.

Kaoru writes down a few sentences on the history of Japanese Prime Ministers. "So, Haruhi, what was it like in Boston?"

"It was a different experience." Haruhi says as she finishes her first essay question, "Boston looks a lot like Bunkyō, but they don't have a lot of the same furnishings or practices as we do. I learned a lot of new things, met a lot of new people, and got to try many different foods."

"Would you want to go back?" Hikaru mumbles as he erases and rewrites his notes.

Haruhi begins her next essay question. "For the education, of course."

"There's a 'but', isn't there?" Kaoru says with a satisfied smirk.

Haruhi nods her head. "But, I will always prefer being home. I made friends with people, but it just wasn't the same. There wasn't a lot that we had in common and their humor doesn't compare to that of you guys. I really missed you guys while I was there." The twins blush as they stare down at their notebooks in embarrassment.

"It wasn't the same without you here, Haruhi." Hikaru mumbles quietly as he scribbles down notes.

Kaoru finishes jotting down the last of the notes before beginning to work on his homework. "We're glad to have you back, Haru."

Haruhi feels her face burn and she looks down at her notepad, trying her best to hide her face. She feels her heart flutter excitedly and stares down at the words upon her paper in confusion. Hikaru and Kaoru had simply repeated what everyone else has been saying, so why is she feeling this way? She sighs, deciding that the break up is to blame.

They study in silence for the remainder of the afternoon, too nervous to speak to one another. Pencil and pen scribbles fill the air as they finish writing up their history assignments. They look over each other's work, jumping slightly as their phone alarms soon chime off at ten o'clock and break the silence.

Packing up her things quickly, Haruhi bows at them as she decides it's time to go home.

"Thank you for studying with me tonight." She stutters nervously.

"It's our pleasure, _Har-u-hi_." Kaoru says as he and Hikaru walk her to their front door.

"Just tell the driver where to go and he'll take you home." Hikaru says, frowning that she has to leave.

Haruhi waves goodbye to them and heads for their limo. The driver comes around and opens the door for her.

Haruhi bows at him. "Thank you very much for the ride, sir." He chuckles as she quickly crawls into the back seat. He shuts the door and climbs into the driver's seat, rolling down the divider.

"No need to tell me where to take you. With the way those boys talk about you, I'm sure I'll be driving to your place a lot." He says, winking at her in the rear-view mirror. Haruhi blushes as the divider is closed once again and the limo takes off.

Her mind wanders to the events of today, wondering why she's been acting so weird around the twins. As she lays back against the seat, Tamaki's words run through her head and she sighs as she realizes she has gotten closer to the twins. Is it cause she enjoys their company or is it simply because they're her supports? She puts the back of her hand against her forehead and smiles as it feels slightly warm. "This break up is making me sick. That's what it is."

The limo soon comes to a stop outside of her apartment complex and she scrambles out. Shutting the door, she waves at the driver as he drives away before making her way up the stairs to her apartment. She breathes a sigh of relief, glad to have the day over with.

Ranka steps outside of the door and fluffs his hair, ready to walk to work. He sees his little girl approaching him and runs over to grab her into a hug. Haruhi smiles and hugs her dad, trying her best not to mess up his outfit. He notices that she's concentrating hard on her thoughts and eyes her.

"What's going on in that head of yours, Haruhi?" He says, gripping her shoulders and pushing her away so he can look down at her.

She sighs as she looks up at her dad. "Have I been spending too much time with the twins?"

Ranka blows a strand of hair out of his face. "You haven't been spending _too_ much time with them, but you have been spending more time with them than usual."

Haruhi blushes as her dad winks down at her. "Do you think it's weird that I like their company? I mean, they really help me forget the break up."

"Then I don't see a reason why you're so worried, dear." Ranka shrugs, bopping her on the nose with his finger.

"It's just... Tamaki seems to think there's something wrong with it." Haruhi frowns as she looks up at her dad.

Ranka glares. "Am I gonna have to kill that bastard for insulting my daughter?"

Haruhi shakes her head. "Please don't worry about him. I'll just ignore him for now."

A smile spreads across Ranka's face and he kisses her upon her forehead, leaving behind a red lip print. "Just get some rest and worry about how you feel. Don't pay any mind to what anyone else says. Your mother would want you to do that."

Haruhi smiles at her dad and starts to head to their front door. "Thanks, dad."

Ranka waves her goodbye as he heads down the stairs. "Have a goodnight, dear. I'll see you later."

Pushing open the front door, Haruhi shuts it behind her and smiles as she prepares herself for a night of quiet and peaceful rest. Whether she wants to or not, she will try her best to forget about today's events and just give herself a break from all the stress and drama of school and relationships.

As she starts to boil water for rice, her phone rings off in her pocket. She shrugs it off as she prepares the vegetables for a basic fried rice meal. Pouring the rice into the pot, she watches the steam rise and hit her soothingly in the face. Another alert rings off on her phone and she frowns, deciding to shut it off for the night.

She grabs it out of her pocket and flips it open, noticing messages from the twins. A small smile forms on her face and she decides to open Hikaru's text.

"Thanks for helping make learning more fun." She reads out loud, chuckling at his words.

Stirring the sauteing veggies, Haruhi opens up Kaoru's message and smiles. "Forget about the others and relax. We _will_ stop these rumors." She closes the phone, glad to have such supportive friends and sets it down as she drains the rice thoroughly. As she starts to saute the rice and veggies together, her phone rings off again. Sighing, she rushes up her cooking and puts her food in a bowl. She takes a seat at her kotatsu and sets the bowl down as she flips her phone open to read the new message.

"We'll always be here to support you, Haruhi. We're keeping our promise to you, because you're important. Have a good night, Haruhi. We love you." Her eyes scan the words written to her by Kaoru and she becomes oddly delighted, feeling her heart flutter happily. She shakes her head, deciding she's really coming down with something. Shoveling the food in her mouth, she reads his words a few times more. Despite having had them admit it to her already, reading it seems to make it all the more real and therefore only adds more confusion to her already confused mind.

Sighing, she finishes off her rice and gets up to head to bed, wondering if she'll ever be able to sleep soundly without her thoughts keeping her up.


	6. This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race

Honey and Reiko cuddle together across from them in the backseat. Haruhi blushes as she watches them share a kiss, remembering what it was like to be in love. She sighs as she eyes them jealously, wishing she could experience love again.

Hikaru and Kaoru nervously sit on either side of Haruhi, becoming embarrassed as they try not to look at Honey and Reiko's show of affection. They stare down at Haruhi out of the corner of their eyes, frowning at the sadness upon her face as she watches the happy couple. With slight blushes upon their cheeks, they each wrap an arm around her shoulders and cuddle her between them tightly. Haruhi swallows back a nervous knot as she looks up at them and smiles brightly, their affection seeming to have helped chase away her blues.

Kazuo looks at Honey and Reiko and blushes, scooting down the seat so as to give them some room. He turns his attention to his three friends across from him and smirks in amusement as he watches them cuddle together, all three of their faces flustered as they try their best not to look at one another. He turns to look out the window to give them all some privacy, watching as the scenery goes by quickly.

The limo soon comes to a stop outside of a large building and Kazuo breathes a sigh of relief as he opens the door. "Talk about hormone central." Honey lets out a chuckle as he watches Kazuo hop out of the limo before he and Reiko start to slide down the seat towards the exit. He turns to look at the other three teens and smiles at them as they nervously chew upon their lips, Kazuo's words seeming to have made them uncomfortable.

"You three seem to have cursed each other." Reiko says, winking at them as she slips out of the limo.

"There's nothing wrong with flirting with each other. I think it's cute." Honey says sweetly as he climbs out of the limo, "Don't let his words get to you guys."

Haruhi's blush darkens as the three of them sit together in silence. Kaoru smiles down at her and gently places a kiss upon her head, making Haruhi's heart flutter in her chest. He stares down at her, waiting for her to make a move or say something.

Haruhi flashes him a small smile before pulling away from them and following Honey out the door. Despite what Honey had said, she never considered anything they had done as flirting. They're just friends, so why is what they're doing now seen as anything different?

Kaoru frowns as he watches her leave. "Do you think flirting is crossing the line, Hika?"

Hikaru sighs and turns to look at him. "Honestly, I see nothing wrong with it. But, obviously she does."

They shrug in sync as they scramble out of the limo together and shut the door behind them. The others stand in the entrance-way, waiting for them to come join up with them. Their eyes meet with Haruhi's and she quickly looks away before heading into the building with the others following suit.

Haruhi lets out a sigh of relief as she lays in bed and stares up at the ceiling. She cuddles up under her blankets and enjoys the silence of the morning in her room. Sunlight trickles in through her window and she smiles, glad that it's finally the weekend. She had already spent a whole day catching up on sleep and homework and was looking forward to another great day.

The last three days of the school week had been just as stressful as the other two. Renge had continued the bets on her love life which led to an incessant amount of questioning from the other girls. As the rumors of the twins and Tamaki fighting for her continued, other male classmates decided to take it upon themselves and proposition her to date them in hopes of gaining themselves five seconds of fame. Couple this with her feelings becoming more confused as Tamaki and the twins clung to her due to these rumors and Haruhi had felt as if the week would never end.

She slowly gets out of bed, wanting to spend the day lounging around the house and enjoying the peacefulness. Opening her door quietly, she tiptoes into the kitchen to make herself some breakfast. Her dad's snores drift through the apartment as she pours herself a bowl of cereal, making her glad her friends aren't anywhere to interrupt his sleep this time.

Taking her bowl into her room and sitting on her bed, she eats her cereal slowly as she flips through her cell phone. Tamaki left her a bunch of text messages and voice-mails, all of them in caps and showing panic as he worries over her well-being. She texts him back and erases his messages before turning her attention to the other texts. As she reads a text from Renge begging her to forgive her for helping the rumors become worse, some quiet voices reach her ear from the outside of her front door and she lets out a sigh.

She glares out her bedroom door as a few soft knocks echo from the front door. Ranka's snoring dies down and she heads down the hallway quickly, hoping to quiet down whoever is at the door before they wake her dad up. With slight irritation building up inside of her, she opens the door to spot some of her friends standing before her. So much for a relaxing weekend.

"Har-u-hi, come out and play!" comes the sing-songy voices of Honey, the twins, and Kazuo. Reiko stands beside Honey and silently nods her head at Haruhi to say 'hi'.

Haruhi crosses her arms over her chest, flashing them a small smile. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Well, Har-u-hi, we figured you'd want to do something to get your mind off of this past week." Kaoru explains.

"And, since shooting things always makes us feel better, we thought you'd feel better if you shot things, too." Hikaru says, smiling happily.

"Shoot things?" Haruhi repeats, looking at them in confusion. "Like, with guns?"

Honey lets out a laugh. "Not with real guns, silly Haru-chan! They were thinking more along the lines of laser tag."

"Oh. I've never played laser tag, before." Haruhi says with a shrug.

"Then, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and get dressed, cutie!" Kazuo says, coming up to her and pushing her backwards into her apartment.

Haruhi holds her finger up to her lips quickly and hushes them. "My dad is trying to get some sleep since he works at night, so please be quiet."

"Sorry." Kazuo whispers as Haruhi starts to head towards her room, "Should we all wait outside or come in?"

"Just stay outside. It won't take me long to get dressed." Haruhi whispers back before shutting her bedroom door.

Haruhi opens her closet door and sighs as she scans over the multitude of Hitachiin-made clothing, trying to find something other than a dress to wear. She quickly throws on a pink sweater and some jeans before heading out to meet with her friends.

She spots Kazuo looking around at her shelves and rolls her eyes as he messes around with a clothes iron, confused by what it's for. She grabs it out of his hands and points at the door to have him join the others, following behind him as he leaves. Kicking on her shoes, she locks up the front door and they head towards the Twins' limo.

"Usually we just play shooter games." Hikaru says as he opens the back door for the others, watching Honey and Reiko crawl in together.

"But, alas, we didn't have enough controllers for everyone." Kaoru sighs as he climbs in after Kazuo.

Haruhi scrambles in and sits beside Kaoru as Hikaru climbs in and closes the door, taking a seat beside her. The limo heads off towards the nearest family fun center, leaving the teens to entertain themselves for a few minutes as they wait to arrive at their destination.

Honey jumps up and down happily. "I think you should be captain of the blue team, Hika-chan."

"And, Kaoru can be captain of the red team." Haruhi says excitedly, watching Hikaru frown a little.

Kaoru wraps an arm around Hikaru's shoulders and grins playfully. "Hey- nothing wrong with going against one another, dear brother."

"We could always make it into a competition?" Kazuo says as he looks around at the others "Losing team buys lunch for the winners?"

The twins flash each other playful looks as they each throw on their vests. "It's a deal! Losers buy lunch."

"Now that that's settled," Kaoru says as he winks at Hikaru, "I choose Honey-Senpai."

Honey let's out a happy squeal as he grabs a red vest and starts to put it on. Hikaru looks around at the others and smiles as his eyes land on Haruhi.

"I choose Haruhi to be on my team." He says, biting his lip as Haruhi smiles at him and goes to grab a blue vest. Kaoru frowns at not getting Haruhi for his team, having tried not to pick her first for fear of seeming desperate or choosing favorites. He sighs in defeat and decides to continue on.

"Then, I'll choose... Kazuo." He says, high fiveing Kazuo as he dresses up in a red vest.

"You're on our team, Reiko-San." Haruhi says, smiling happily as she hands her a blue vest. Reiko takes it from Haruhi and starts to put it on, smiling as she watches Hikaru help Haruhi put on her vest. The two of them blush as they ensure her vest is working properly, Hikaru's hands slightly shaking as he tries his best not to touch her.

"I don't wanna go against my girlfriend." Honey fake cries as he wraps his arms around Reiko's waist.

"It's only for a little while, Mitsukuni." Reiko says as she smiles happily at him.

Honey returns the smile with sparkling eyes and hugs her tightly. "Promise not to hold back, then?"

"I promise." Reiko says, patting him on the head.

A buzzer sounds in the room, allowing them to head out into the laser tag arena. They make their way down a hallway into a pitch black room with flashing lights. Their eyes slowly adjust to the dark and they look around at all the pipes and walls around the room, excited to start the competition. Another loud buzzer resounds, signalling the start of the round and they all scramble in different directions.

Haruhi giggles as she follows Reiko into a nearby tube, hiding herself successfully as Kazuo runs right by her. She hears a buzzing sound and sees Reiko get hit by a laser from Honey. Reiko glares down the tube and shoots back at him, missing Honey, but successfully hitting Kaoru square in the chest.

As Honey runs past her, Haruhi follows after him and manages to hit him in the shoulder. She squeaks as he turns around and fires a shot at her chest before running away into a nearby tube. Haruhi runs after him, laughing as she heads towards the tube. Hikaru accidentally knocks into her and smiles happily at her before shooting at Kaoru who ducks down behind a wall.

"Quit hiding, you chicken!" Hikaru shouts at Kaoru as he runs after him.

Running down the tube, Haruhi reaches the end and looks around for Honey. Right as she turns to her left a laser hits her in the shoulder and she smirks, watching Kazuo laugh as he runs away.

"Get back here and fight me, Kazuo!" She shouts playfully as she runs after him. He heads behind a nearby wall and she sneaks towards him through a tube close to him, reaching the end and peeking around the edge. Kazuo ducks behind a wall and chuckles as he shoots at Reiko who is busy having a shoot-off with Hikaru. With a smile, Haruhi points her gun towards him and shoots, hitting him twice in the arm before ducking back into the tube.

"I saw that, Haruhi!" Kazuo calls out as he crawls towards the tube after her. Haruhi lets out a giggle as he shoots at her from behind and chases her down the tube. Hikaru spots her running away from him and turns around, shooting Kazuo in the shoulder. Kazuo turns his attention towards Hikaru and Haruhi holds back her laughter as she hides behind a nearby wall. She excitedly watches Hikaru and Kazuo tumble around the center of the room as they shoot at one another.

Reiko comes running between them, giving Hikaru a chance to escape and dodge Kazuo. As Kazuo and Kaoru go after Reiko, Hikaru crawls into a small tube near the back of the room and hides in the center of it. Haruhi spies the others running towards her and quickly hides in a nearby tube.

As she crawls backwards in the tube, she bumps into Hikaru and quietly squeals in surprise. Hikaru smiles at her as she sits beside him before turning his attention to looking down both ends of the tube like a guard dog. Haruhi giggles at his seriousness as she helps him keep an eye out.

The limo takes off in the direction of Haruhi's apartment complex and the three teens sit in silence. Haruhi sighs and lays down upon the seat, slightly tired from their competition. She stares up at the top of the limo, tapping her chin in thought.

Hikaru and Kaoru watch her mumble to herself and smirk in amusement.

"I hope you've had a good weekend, Haruhi." Kaoru says, stretching his legs out in front of himself.

"It went surprisingly well." Haruhi says as she turns her head towards them, "I wasn't expecting this to happen today, but I had a lot of fun."

"I'm glad you had fun, Haruhi." Hikaru says, smiling at her sweetly, "I loved having you on my team."

"Next time, I get her on my team." Kaoru says as he smiles playfully at Haruhi, "It wouldn't be fair if only Hikaru got you on his team."

"Well, if there is a next time, I promise to be on your team, Kaoru." Haruhi says, sitting up in her seat.

The limo soon reaches her apartment complex and comes to a stop. The three of them crawl out together, Haruhi blushing as they run into her dad at the bottom of the stairs. He crosses his arms against his chest and stares down at the three teens, eyeing them curiously.

"So, what did you three go and do?" He says, glaring at the two boys.

Haruhi sighs. "We went to go play laser tag with the others, dad. Why are you acting so suspicious?"

"I just want to make sure my little girl isn't out doing something that'll harm her." Ranka says, grabbing Haruhi into a small hug.

"We wouldn't do anything to hurt your daughter, Ranka sir." Hikaru says as he bows his head.

"We were just trying to cheer her up. That's all." Kaoru says, flashing him a sincere smile.

Ranka looks down into Haruhi's eyes. "Alright, I'm fine with laser tag. But, what exactly do you three have planned for tonight?"

"Well, losers have to treat the winners to lunch." Haruhi shrugs.

"You three seem to like hanging out. Is there anything going on that I should know about, dear?" He says, smirking at his daughter. Haruhi blushes brightly and hides her face behind her hands, making the twins smile at her embarrassment. He chuckles as she refuses to answer him and steps out of the way, allowing them to pass him up the stairs, but not before turning around and pointing a finger at them. "No fooling around. If I find out you two did something to my daughter, I will personally have you hunted. Do I make myself clear?"

Hikaru and Kaoru bow respectfully at him, making him chuckle and pat them each upon the head before turning to go to his work. Haruhi watches him walk down the street, shouting 'goodbye' after him as he slowly disappears.

Hikaru watches Haruhi smile cheerfully, hiding her giggles of excitement as she keeps an eye out for the enemy. Both of them sit huddled in the middle of a tube, protecting themselves from attacks. Hikaru's heart beats happily against his chest as he watches her enjoy herself, glad to see her being happy again. He smiles sweetly at her as she turns to face him, a slight blush coloring her cheeks as he gazes into her eyes.

"I'm having so much fun, Hika." she says happily, feeling her heart beat wildly as he brings a hand up to caress her cheek.

Hikaru blushes brightly as he slowly brings his hand down to her chin and grips it gently, running his thumb across her lower lip. She intakes her breath at his touch, gazing fondly into his eyes as he brings her face closer to his. He swallows back a nervous knot before slowly bringing his lips to hers, his blush darkening as she closes her eyes and hesitantly returns the kiss. She gasps against his mouth as he wraps his arms around her shoulders and pulls her closer to him, deepening their kiss.

A multitude of emotions course through Haruhi as she places her hands upon his shoulders. Just like Kaoru had done before, Hikaru was now kissing her as if this will be the last time they see each other. Her vision blurs as her eyes tear up. Unsure of how to feel, Haruhi hesitantly eases up on returning the kiss.

Feeling as if his heart is going to burst forth from his chest, Hikaru slowly pulls away from the kiss and rests his forehead against Haruhi's. Haruhi bites her lip as they stare into each other's eyes, too shy to talk about what just happened. Noticing the tears in her eyes, he reaches up and gently brushes them away. Small smiles creep onto their mouths as they continue to stare at one another.

Spying the two love birds cuddling each other without paying any mind to their surroundings, Kazuo appears at the end of the tube and shoots them both several times.

"Oh boy, I caught you two in the act!" He giggles teasingly, "About time you two kissed. You could have cut the tension between you two with scissors it was so thick."

Haruhi laughs shyly as she pulls away from Hikaru and falls backwards against the tube. Kazuo crawls into the tube, smirking at her as she laughs like a crazy person.

Hikaru glares at him in embarrassment. "It's not what it looks like. We were just hiding from you guys."

"Suuurrreee..." Kazuo says teasingly, winking at him.

Sighing, Hikaru goes to crawl out of the tube, leaving Haruhi and Kazuo behind. An evil smirk lights up Kazuo's face and he shoots Hikaru in the back several more times, making Haruhi's eyes open wide.

"You traitor! That's cheating!" she says, lightly slapping Kazuo's arm.

He shrugs at her and smiles playfully. "You guys are the enemy, you know."

The same buzzer from before echoes through the room and the lights come on, drawing them out of their hiding places. Kazuo helps Haruhi stand up as Hikaru joins them. They look up at the scoreboard on the wall, Hikaru and Haruhi frowning as it shows that the 'Red team' won by several points; Kazuo having scored the most.

Kazuo winks at them, slapping Hikaru on the back. "Thanks for letting us win. Your secret is safe with me, pal."

Haruhi blushes as she watches Kazuo run over to join the others. Kaoru and Honey share high fives with Kazuo, cheering loudly about them winning. Reiko turns to eye Haruhi and Hikaru, smiling at their flushed faces.

Hikaru frowns as he stares up at the scoreboard. "Sorry I made us lose, Haruhi. I wanted you to have a lot of fun and win."

"I'm not sorry, Hika." Haruhi says, flashing him a joyful smile, "I had a lot of fun whether we won or lost." She pats him upon the cheek and runs over to join the others. Hikaru watches her hug Reiko and rubs his cheek, feeling tingly all over from her touch. He takes a deep breath to calm his nerves before heading over to join his friends.

"You put up a good fight, Hikaru." Kaoru says, smirking at his brother, "But, it seems we were one step ahead of you."

"Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up." Hikaru says, rolling his eyes playfully, "What did you have in mind for lunch?"

"I'd be fine with anything." Honey says happily as he wraps an arm around Reiko's waist and hugs her against him.

"Haruhi, do you think we could go to your house for a homemade meal?" Kaoru says, smiling at the chance to eat her cooking.

Sighing with irritation, Haruhi rubs her chin as she tries to think about what she can make. "How does Udon noodles sound?"

"If you make them, Haruhi, they'll be the best noodles ever." Kaoru says, making Haruhi blush a little.

"Let's go to Haru-chan's place, then!" Honey says happily, quickly frowning as Reiko bends down and whispers something in his ear. She withdraws her mouth from his ear and whistles a little tune, trying to pretend like she said nothing. Kazuo eyes them suspiciously and she flashes him a strange look, gesturing at the twins and Haruhi with her eyes.

He nods his head in understanding before feigning a yawn. "Man, I seem to have gotten tired all of a sudden. Would you guys mind dropping me off on your way to Haruhi's place?"

"Today was pretty tiring, huh?" Haruhi says, yawning. Kazuo flashes her a smile and messes up her hair, making her smile happily at him as they head back into the locker room to change out of their vests and put away their laser guns.

Honey and Reiko remove their vests and hold hands together, bowing at the others. The twins and Haruhi stare down at them in confusion while they remove their equipment.

"Is everything okay, Senpai?" Haruhi asks Honey as she hangs up her vest.

"Reiko and I wanted to thank you for a great time. We're gonna stay behind and play some more laser tag together." Honey says happily.

"Go on ahead without us, but be sure to save us all some noodles." Reiko explains as her and Honey head out of the lockers together. The others wave goodbye to them as they watch them disappear. The twins finish hanging up their equipment and they head out of the building with Kazuo and Haruhi in tow.

Hikaru holds the door open for them and blushes as Haruhi smiles at him while climbing into the back seat. Kaoru scrambles in after them and he follows after his brother, shutting the door behind him.

Kazuo sits across from them beside Haruhi, smirking at her out of the corner of his eye as the limo heads towards his house.

"It's too bad that the others can't come for dinner." Haruhi mumbles out loud, watching the scenery fly by, "I'd have loved to have them over to visit."

"If I wasn't so tired, I'd gladly join you three for dinner." Kazuo says as he stares out the window, "I hope you guys have a good dinner alone together, though."

"Since Haruhi's cooking, we'll definitely have a great dinner." Hikaru says, smiling over at Haruhi.

"Want us to save you some noodles, too?" Haruhi says, looking over at Kazuo.

"I'd be disappointed if you didn't. I mean, I did score the winning points for my team." Kazuo says, winking at her. He chuckles as Haruhi and Hikaru's cheeks redden at the same time.

Looking out the window, he notices his house and knocks on the divider to have the driver stop. The limo comes to a slow stop and he bows at the twins "This is my stop. Thanks for inviting me, guys. See ya at school tomorrow?"

The twins nod their heads 'yes' as they flash him happy smiles, waving goodbye to him as he opens the limo door.

Kazuo looks at Haruhi and points a finger at her "Make me some sesame Udon noodles for tomorrow, k? Have a goodnight, cutie!"

The three of them crawl up the stairs towards Haruhi's apartment. She quickly unlocks the door and lets them in, heading towards the kitchen to start on dinner while the two boys shut the door and take their seats at her kotatsu.

"So, did you guys finish your homework for this weekend?" Haruhi asks them as she starts to boil a pot of water.

Hikaru plays with a napkin, folding it into little shapes as they stare around at Haruhi's apartment. "We had it all finished up before the weekend began."

"Wow. It's not like you guys to be so prepared." Haruhi says with surprise as she throws the noodles into the water.

"Well, we sorta had something to... take care of... before the weekend." Hikaru says as he continues to play with his napkin.

"Are you doubting us, Haruhi?" Kaoru says with a smirk as he stands up and joins her in the kitchen.

Haruhi chops up some vegetables. "I'm not doubting you guys. I'm just proud of you, that's all."

"We're proud of you too, Har-u-hi." He says as he watches her cook, impressed by her skills.

"Why're you proud of me? I haven't done anything amazing that I know of." Haruhi says as she throws the vegetables into the pot.

Hikaru makes a little crane out of his napkin and sets it upon the kotatsu. "You seem to be handling yourself better ever since the break up."

"You haven't snapped at anyone, even though these annoying rumors are flying about." Kaoru says with a playful smirk, laughing as Haruhi elbows him.

"Please don't remind me of them. I haven't thought about them all weekend long. Let me just enjoy the rest of the day without them in my mind, okay?" Haruhi sighs.

Kaoru nervously runs a hand through his hair. "Sorry, Haru, didn't mean to bring it up. You're not mad at me are you?"

Haruhi drains the noodles and smiles at him out of the corner of her eye. "I'm not mad at you. I'm still in a good mood after tonight. Would you mind grabbing the soy sauce and heading to the table? I'll be right there with the noodles."

Grabbing a small bottle off of the counter, Kaoru walks over to the kotatsu and sits down beside his brother. He stares at the little paper crane and smirks, playing with it as Haruhi arrives at the kotatsu and sets a giant bowl of noodles down. She places a stack of bowls upon the table and smiles, proud of her cooking.

"Thank you, Haruhi. This looks delicious!" Kaoru says as he serves himself some noodles.

"It smells great!" Hikaru says, copying his brother.

Haruhi serves herself some noodles, drizzling soy sauce over them and slurping them down.

Kaoru takes a bite of his noodles and smiles. "A delicious prize if I do say so myself."

"Thanks for inviting me to come out today." Haruhi says as she stares at them from across the kotatsu, "I feel a lot better now, almost as if I'll be able to face the rumors with a smile tomorrow."

Hikaru and Kaoru share looks with one another, smirking at her words before turning their attention to her.

"We promised we'd support you, right Haruhi?" Kaoru says, slurping up more noodles.

"That's what friends are supposed to do for the ones they love." Hikaru mumbles as he looks down at his half-empty bowl.

The three of them blush brightly, eating their noodles in silence as they stare down at their bowls. Haruhi finishes her food first, satisfied with the food and how her weekend turned out.

Standing up, she grabs her bowl and heads into the kitchen to start packing up the remainder of the noodles. The twins continue eating, watching as she cleans up the mess. Dishes clink together as Haruhi scurries throughout the kitchen.

Finishing their noodles and standing up together, they walk over to the kitchen and take a stand behind her as she does her chores.

"You guys are done already? That was fast." Haruhi mumbles, keeping her eyes on the dishes before her.

Hikaru and Kaoru wrap their arms around her shoulders and lean down to look at her face, noticing a small blush upon her cheeks. They smile at her and cuddle her between them, chuckling as her blush darkens.

"Haruhi, are you angry at us for flirting with you?" Kaoru asks her as he rests his head upon her shoulder.

Haruhi finishes up her dishes and stares down at the sink. "Why would you ask that?"

"We're just worried about overstepping your boundaries." Hikaru sighs, laying his head against her arm.

Haruhi looks at Kaoru and then Hikaru. "Well, I'm not angry. I'm just really confused. I honestly had no idea that most of what you guys did was considered flirting."

"Do you want us to stop, Haruhi?" Kaoru says, pulling away from her.

"I don't know what I want." Haruhi sighs. "All I know is is that people keep trying to hint at something between us and I have no idea why."

"Just take your time, Haruhi." Hikaru says as he pulls away from her, "We'll still be here for you if you ever need to talk."

"I'm sorry, guys. I know you both like me, but I'm just not sure I'm ready for dating again." Haruhi says, frowning as she notices the disappointment on both of their faces.

"It's fine, Haruhi, we weren't expecting you to go out with us." Kaoru sighs. "We just wanted to make sure we weren't forcing you into anything."

Haruhi smiles up at him. "Thanks for the concern, Kao. If you were forcing me, you'd have known by now."

They stand there for a few moments in awkward silence, staring down at the ground as they wonder what to do next. A small yawn escapes Haruhi's mouth, deciding for them that it's time for them to call it a night.

Haruhi walks them towards the front door, frowning at the thought of her weekend already being over.

They come to a stop in the doorway and the twins stare down at her, bowing their heads in thanks.

"Thank you for giving us a wonderful day!" They say in sync, "Get yourself some sleep and have a good night. See you tomorrow, Haruhi."

"Goodnight!" She says as she smiles up at them.

Both of them bend down and kiss her upon the forehead. She swallows back a nervous knot, feeling slight tingles run down her spine as she watches them open the door and head out for the night. They close the door behind them and she blinks in shock, remembering the same thing happening to her when Tamaki had kissed her on the forehead for the first time. She quickly shakes her head to clear her mind, refusing to believe that their kisses are making her feel the same way she felt about Tamaki.

As she turns to head for bed, she spies a tiny paper crane sitting upon the kotatsu and picks it up, smiling brightly as she sees her name written upon its wing with a tiny heart beside it. She stares at the little bird in her hand and walks into her room, carefully placing it upon her night stand before slipping into bed for the night.

Despite hating the rumors, she sighs as she slips into a deep sleep; ready to face the rumors no matter how annoying they are thanks to her two supports for giving her a wonderful weekend to clear her thoughts. She glances at the paper crane before allowing her eyes to droop closed.


	7. Snitches & Talkers; Stitches & Walkers

Haruhi smiles at her two best friends across from her in the back seat of the limo, readying herself for a new school week. Both identical boys return the smile, neither one uttering a word as they stare at her. They had been quiet the whole way to school which Haruhi had found kind of odd, but decided to brush it off as them simply trying to help her out by offering her the peace and quiet she had wanted.

Taking a deep breath, Haruhi grips the door handle and pushes it open. She plasters a smile upon her face and slides out of the limo, taking a stand before the courtyard to Ouran High. Hikaru and Kaoru scramble out behind her and wrap their arms around her shoulders. She smiles up at them before turning her attention to the crowd before her.

Yellow and blue-clad students congregate around the courtyard in small groups or scramble around to their destinations of choice. Haruhi swallows a nervous knot and begins casually strolling through her fellow students. Hikaru and Kaoru stand around her like guards as they slowly make their way across the courtyard.

Looking around, Haruhi breathes a sigh of relief as Renge and her posse are nowhere to be found. She smiles at the people she passes, slightly taken aback as they walk past her normally or stand around without whispering or gesturing at her.

"Everything seems strangely calm." Haruhi says quietly as she stumbles through the crowd "It feels like something weird is going on."

Kaoru tightens his grip around her shoulders "I don't notice anything out of the ordinary." He smirks over at his brother "What do you think, Hikaru?" Hikaru messes up Haruhi's hair and shrugs "Everything seems fine to me."

Haruhi fixes her hair as they continue through the crowd without a single person paying more attention to them than normal. Her eyes scan the many faces that pass her by, worry building up in her as she wonders why the rumors have stopped so abruptly.

They reach the front door of the main building and head inside, Haruhi holding her breath as she expects something to happen. She takes a few steps into the foyer and blinks in surprise, looking around as things go on normally around her.

"What's going on? Why aren't there any rumors?" She says in frustration, frowning as she looks around at all the students rushing by her.

Hikaru pats her on the head "Stop driving yourself crazy, Haru. Isn't it a good thing the rumors have stopped?"

"Well, yeah. But, it just seems strange that they stopped without a good reason for doing so." Haruhi sighs as she stares up at her two identical friends.

Kaoru crosses his arms and smirks down at her "Relax, Haruhi. Enjoy the day, alright?"

Haruhi takes a deep breath before making her way towards the stairs to class. Her best friends follow behind her, smiling as she lets her guard down.

They head into class and make their way to their usual seats without a single interruption about Haruhi's relationship issues. Sitting down at her desk, Haruhi lets out a content sigh as she looks around the classroom. The twins take their seats beside her, watching her out of the corners of their eyes. A smile graces Haruhi's face as she begins to take her things out of her backpack, readying herself for class. The twins share looks of satisfaction before turning their attentions towards their teacher.

The bell signalling the end of class rings through the air and Haruhi closes her notebook slowly, still shocked by the day being normal.

"Well, that was a surprisingly wonderful day of classes." Haruhi says, smirking as she shoves her stuff into her backpack.

Hikaru stretches his arms above his head and stands up "Are you honestly complaining that things didn't become hectic?"

Haruhi blinks a few times in confusion as she stands up beside him "No, I'm not. Is it so wrong for me to be wary about things?"

Kaoru throws his backpack onto his shoulder and stands up beside her, placing his hand upon her shoulder. "There's nothing wrong with that, Haruhi. We completely understand." He says with a smile "We just want you to relax. You were on edge all week, so maybe you should use this calm to your advantage."

Tapping her chin with her finger, Haruhi heads towards the exit deep in thought. "Don't you guys want to know why the rumors stopped?" She says out loud, causing Hikaru to roll his eyes. He pats her on the head as they head out for lunch "What does it matter? They're over, now. Would you rather they still be going?" "No!" Haruhi snaps, sending an evil glare in his direction. Hikaru chuckles and holds his hands up in defeat as they continue down the hallway.

"Then, let's forget about the rumors and just enjoy the rest of the day." Kaoru says as he wraps an arm around Haruhi's shoulders "Did you bring leftovers today, Haruhi?"

Haruhi stares down at her backpack "I did; those udon noodles from yesterday. Which reminds me, I still need to give Kazuo his."

"We'll trade you lunch for your noodles." Hikaru says with a big smirk "I think they're serving Miso soup with mussels, today."

"I don't believe I've ever eaten mussels before." Haruhi says out loud as she wonders what the taste is like.

Kaoru pokes her in the cheek "I take it that's a yes?"

Haruhi shrugs "I guess so."

Loud squeals of excitement escape Hikaru and Kaoru's mouths as they cuddle her tightly between them, excited to eat her homemade cooking. Rolling her eyes, Haruhi pulls away from them and heads towards a nearby table to save them seats while they go to get their lunches.

Setting up her utensils and bowl, Haruhi hums a tune as she takes advantage of the few moments of peace and quiet without her mischievous friends. Despite the fact that its been a peaceful day, she still would like to know why the rumors stopped.

She measures out her bowl of noodles into even portions for each twin and stirs in some soy sauce.

"Did you make them into sesame noodles or are they the plain ones from last night?" Kaoru asks as he sets his tray down beside her and takes his seat.

Haruhi passes a bowl of noodles to him and smiles happily as he scoots his tray in front of her, enjoying the scent from the soup. Kaoru smirks at her reaction as he scoops up some noodles into his mouth and slurps them down quickly. "Even when it's cold your cooking tastes delicious." He says between mouthfuls of noodles.

Slurping up some of the soup, Haruhi lets out a sigh of satisfaction right as Hikaru takes a seat beside her. "I hope you saved me some noodles." He says, passing her his tray as he sits down beside her. "Sesame noodles." Haruhi says before taking another slurp of soup "Kazuo asked for them, so that's what I made them into."

Hikaru grabs his bowl of noodles and starts to chow down on them slowly, savoring the taste with every bite. He chuckles as Haruhi stares down at the mussels, trying to figure out how to eat them. "Want some help with that?" He says, opening the mussel up and handing it to her "Just slurp it up like you would soup." Haruhi blushes, but takes his advice and attempts to slurp up the mussel, the juices dripping down her chin. Two pairs of eyes trace the trails of juice running across her skin, both of them wishing they could lick it off of her.

Swallowing back their desire, the twins watch as Haruhi dabs her chin and sets down the empty mussel "Thanks for backing me up, today."

Kaoru finishes his bite of noodles "Of course. Were you thinking we'd bail on you or something?"

"Well, I just assumed you'd get annoyed with me because of how mad I was over those rumors." She says, starting on her second bowl of soup.

Hikaru mixes some soy sauce into his noodles "You think we'd stop supporting you because we were annoyed? That's kinda harsh, Haru."

"Sorry." Haruhi sighs, setting down her spoon "You got mad at me for talking about Tamaki, so I just assumed you'd do the same with the rumors."

Chowing down the last of his noodles, Kaoru sets the bowl down and lets out an 'ahh' of satisfaction. "It's normal for us to be annoyed. But, that doesn't mean we're just gonna up and leave you, Haruhi." He says, wrapping an arm around her shoulders "We already told you how we feel, so quit doubting us."

Frowning, Haruhi looks sideways at him "I wasn't doubting you, Kao." A smile spreads across Kaoru's face "I know, silly. I believe you."

"We made a promise, Haruhi. We're not taking it back." Hikaru says as he finishes off the remainder of his noodles. Haruhi watches him eat, a slight flutter in her chest as their words warm her heart. He sets down his bowl and smiles at her "Thanks for the delicious lunch, Haru." With a nod of her head, she packs up her lunch supplies right as the bell rings off, signalling for them to head to Host Club.

"There's my favorite person ever!" Kazuo says, smiling as Haruhi walks into the Host Club "Did you bring those noodles?" Haruhi holds out a Tupperware container of Udon noodles and smirks "Sesame, just like you asked for." His face lights up and he hugs her tightly, pecking her upon the cheek and taking the noodles from her as Hikaru and Kaoru come up behind her.

"You really are like Tamaki." Hikaru mumbles under his breath, slightly annoyed by Kazuo being so clingy to Haruhi.

Kazuo sticks his tongue out at him "Quit being so jealous. It makes you look immature."

Hikaru shoots a glare at him and Kaoru wraps an arm around his shoulders to comfort him. "You gotta quit acting so possessive, Hikaru." Kaoru sighs "Kazuo didn't do anything wrong. Haruhi would have said something if he did." Hikaru rolls his eyes, making Kaoru chuckle at him.

"Besides, I earned these noodles remember?" Kazuo says, winking at Hikaru and making him blush as he remembers the kiss he shared with Haruhi the previous day.

Masahiro claps his hands into the air to silence everyone, preparing them for the arrival of the guests. He shoots them all looks of warning and pulls open the doors of the music room, revealing a slightly smaller crowd than normal.

"Welcome!" the Hosts say in sync, bowing or smiling at the yellow-clad girls as they make their way into the room. A bunch of them run up to Haruhi and smile at her as she bows at each one of them, a big smile of relief upon her face as they completely refrain from asking about the usual rumors from the week before.

Hikaru and Kaoru lead their regular guests over to their normal place in the Host Club and begin cuddling upon the couch, instant squeals of excitement filling the room. Haruhi feels a slight pang of jealousy bubble up in her chest and frowns as she watches the girls cling around the twins. She's been in Host Club plenty of times before and never felt bothered by the girls clinging to her friends, so why is she feeling this way now? Completely taken aback by her thoughts, Haruhi mentally yells at herself to knock it off.

"How was your weekend, Haruhi?" one of the guests asks Haruhi, turning her attention back to her 'job'.

Haruhi shakes her head to clear her thoughts and stares back at the brown-haired girl "It went surprisingly well. I got to go out and play laser tag with my friends." A bright smile lights up her face as she takes a seat upon the couch with her guests, telling them all about the events of her weekend. As she talks, she becomes animated and happy as the weight from the previous week lifts off of her shoulders and she finally becomes comfortable again.

"You know you make me really happy, Hikaru." Kaoru says with feigned shyness, clinging to his brother as they pretend to come close to kissing.

Hikaru runs a hand up Kaoru's neck, making their guests scream with delight "You're the only one that makes me happy, Kaoru." More squeals of giddiness issue forth from the girls, drawing Haruhi's eyes over to the boys as she talks to her guests.

Kaoru looks over at her and catches her eye, smiling sweetly at her as he enjoys the look of contentment upon her face. A guest says something in Haruhi's ear making her blush and giggle nervously. Kaoru feels his heart flutter in his chest as they continue to gaze at one another.

Hikaru notices the look upon Kaoru's face and turns around towards Haruhi, smirking as she quickly averts her eyes. "Do you think she knows, yet?" Hikaru says as he brings his lips close to Kaoru's ear, their guests thinking they're still doing their brotherly love act.

Kaoru stares back at his brother, a slight blush gracing both of their cheeks. "I honestly don't think she does." Kaoru sighs, caressing his brothers cheek with his hand. Hikaru shakes his head and chuckles "She really is dense, isn't she?" With a nod of his head, Kaoru sits back up in the couch "Do you think we should tell her?"

"Tell who, what?" Haruhi says, staring over at them from her place upon the couch. Both boys blush brightly and smile mischievously, wrapping their arms around one another's shoulders. "Err... nothing, actually." Hikaru mumbles nervously, staring sideways at his brother. Haruhi crosses her arms and eyes them curiously, wondering what they're planning.

The bell signalling the end of Host Club rings through the air, dismissing all of the students to their outside lives. Hikaru and Kaoru let out sighs of relief as they drop their brotherly love act, watching Haruhi take a stand from her place in the room.

Straightening out her dress, Haruhi bids her guests goodbye and walks over to where her friends remain sitting. She blushes slightly as she looks down at them, happy to have had such a peaceful day.

"Today was completely unexpected." Haruhi says, gripping the back of a nearby chair. Hikaru and Kaoru smirk at one another and stand up together, both of them smiling mischievously at her. She frowns at them as they walk past her silently, expecting her to follow them out of the music room.

"You guys?" She says, looking at them in confusion as they head into the hallway. Staring at their backs, Haruhi walks behind them in silence as they make their way down the hallway.

"So, what do you guys think of the rumors being over?" Haruhi says out loud, hoping to get them to talk.

Hikaru looks over his shoulder at her and smiles "I think it's a good thing. I honestly don't get why you're still freaking out about it."

"We didn't even notice until you started constantly pointing it out." Kaoru says, copying his brother.

Haruhi sighs as she follows them out of the school and towards their limo "I guess I'll just drop it, then."

The twins smile at her as they approach their limo, Hikaru opening the door for them. Haruhi hops in and slides into her usual seat. She stares at Hikaru across from her, noticing the corners of his mouth upturning into a slightly smug smirk.

"Got something you'd like to say, Hika?" She says, eyeing him from across the limo. He simply shrugs his shoulders and scoots over as Kaoru slides into the backseat beside him and shuts the door. The limo jumps into life and starts its journey towards Haruhi's apartment.

Kaoru looks over at Haruhi and notices a look of annoyance upon her face. "What's up, Haru?" He says, draping an arm around his brother's shoulders.

"You and Hikaru are hiding something." Haruhi says, crossing her arms against her chest as she stares at him from across the limo.

A smirk spreads across Kaoru's face "Honestly, Haruhi, it seems as if you're just trying to stir up drama." Haruhi's jaw drops open and she glares at him, making him chuckle in amusement. She closes her mouth and rolls her eyes, looking out the window.

"You complained all week about wanting the rumors gone and now it seems as if you want them back." Hikaru mumbles as he stares at her from across the back seat.

Turning to glare at them, Haruhi takes in their smirks and lets out a growl of frustration "Why are you guys being so mean today?"

Kaoru blinks at her in confusion "Mean? How are we being mean?"

"If by teasing you we're being mean, then I guess we're sorry." Hikaru mumbles as he turns to look out the window, irritated by her attitude.

Haruhi lets out a frustrated sigh and turns back to the window, remaining silent for the rest of their trip home. Hikaru and Kaoru stare at her, wondering if they should simply tell her the truth behind the rumors stopping or continue their teasing.

The limo comes to a stop outside of the apartment complex and Haruhi quickly gathers her things. "Thanks for the ride." She mumbles as she throws open the back door and hops out of the limo, glad to be away from them and their strange attitudes for the rest of the day.

As she climbs the stairs up to her apartment, the limo speeds off and she breathes a sigh of relief. Despite having a small fight with her friends, the day had turned out better than expected.

She reaches her front door and unlocks it, pushing it open and heading inside. As she sets her bag down and kicks off her shoes, her cell phone begins to ring in her pocket. Grabbing it out, she looks down at the tiny screen and sees Tamaki's name flashing upon it.

Rolling her eyes, she hits the green icon and holds the phone up to her ear "Hello?"

"Hey, Haruhi, how're you doing today?"

"Great, actually. How about you?"

"I'm doing well as usual. It's good to hear you're doing better. Would you mind me asking what made today great?"

"After last week, I'm actually surprised that today turned out the way it did, you know?"

"Actually I don't, really. But, I was wondering if it had anything to do with the lack of rumors, by chance?"

A big smile lights up Haruhi's face and she grips the phone excitedly "Yes, it does as a matter of fact. Thank you so much for your help, Tamaki!"

"Err... well-"

"I couldn't figure out why the rumors stopped and Hikaru and Kaoru had no idea, either. I'm so happy that I finally have an answer!"

"Haruhi, you see- I didn't..."

Haruhi takes a deep breath and chews on her lip "Would you like to go out to dinner sometime? I'd love to thank you for helping me."

"I-I'd love to, Haruhi." Tamaki stutters on the other line, taken aback by the sudden turn of their phone call "How about I pick you up tomorrow night?"

Giggling quietly, Haruhi leans against the door "That's perfect. I'll see you tomorrow, then?"

"It's a date." Tamaki says happily.

The phone call ends and Haruhi shoves her phone in her pocket, smiling blissfully as she looks forward to her date with Tamaki. Making her way towards her room, she digs through her closet for an outfit to wear. She scans through the multitude of Hitachiin-made clothing, wanting to look perfect for her night with Tamaki.

Just when she had thought he'd always be selfish; he goes and surprises her by doing the unexpected. Of course, being a counselor might have something to do with why he did it. Regardless, the fact that he stopped the rumors is just amazing, especially considering it had been done so fast.

Pulling out a blue dress, Haruhi holds it up to herself and examines herself in the mirror. With her brown hair and eyes, she always felt that blue really complimented her looks. Satisfied with her choice, she sets the dress aside and winds down for the night.

"Hikaru, go left!" Kaoru shouts as he moves his character to the right on his screen, successfully dodging a grenade thrown at him by an opponent.

Hikaru presses his joystick roughly making his character go left, spotting a group of enemy vehicles trying to escape past his hiding point. "Kaoru, you better get out of there quickly!" He says, throwing a grenade at the center vehicle. It sticks to the side of the vehicle and begins beeping as Kaoru's character stands up from his cover and goes running like crazy towards a nearby building.

Hikaru's character takes aim and begins sniping the enemies that shoot at Kaoru as he runs, trying his best to cover his brother. Kaoru successfully manages to make it into the building right as Hikaru's grenade goes off and explodes the enemy vehicles into smithereens.

"We have one enemy left." Kaoru says, looking around for the enemy.

"I think I know where he is." Hikaru says, making his character rush towards the enemy's starting post. He ducks his character down into a nearby bush and begins sweeping the building with his sniper lens, looking for their remaining foe. A streak of black catches his eye and he spies the guy running out of the back of the building. He quickly stands up and sneaks to the side of the building, aiming his gun and waiting for him.

The enemy runs towards him and stops, staring at Hikaru in defeat. With a smirk, Hikaru aims his gun and shoots, gaining his team another victory over the enemy. "Hell yeah! That's how it's done." He says, giving Kaoru a high five.

A loud buzz echoes between them and Kaoru looks down to see Tamaki calling him.

"Wonder what he wants." Kaoru says, picking his cellphone up and swiping the green icon to answer the call. He holds the phone away from his ear as Tamaki starts to yell excitedly on the other line."Kaoru, you'll never believe what just happened!"

Kaoru hits the speakerphone icon and holds the phone between him and Hikaru "What's up, Boss?"

"Haruhi and I are going on a date tomorrow night. Can you believe it?!"

Hikaru lets out a humph of annoyance, falling backwards onto the carpet "What the hell? A date?!"

Kaoru frowns as he looks down at his brother "Congratulations. When did you ask her out?"

"Just now, actually..." Tamaki mumbles from the other end of the call "But, she was the one who asked me. Something about wanting to thank me for stopping the rumors-"

"Stopping the rumors?" Kaoru says, blinking at the phone in confusion.

"Well, I sorta noticed that the school was unusually quiet today and I asked her about it and-"

Hikaru sits up and glares daggers at the phone as if Tamaki was really there with them "That's because we stopped the rumors!"

"Oh. Well, I tried telling her, but she wouldn't listen to me." Tamaki says quickly "The next thing I know, she's asking me out on a date and was really happy and I couldn't help myself and I said yes!"

"So, you took the credit for what we did?" Kaoru sighs, running his hands through his hair in frustration.

"I didn't mean to." Tamaki's voice cracks as he tries not to anger them "She was so excited that I couldn't bring myself to tell her I didn't know why the rumors stopped."

His fingernails digging into the palms of his hands, Hikaru tries his hardest not to throw the phone "Well, I hope you enjoy your fucking date, you liar!"

"Hikaru, wait-" Tamaki begins, but is cut off by Hikaru hanging up the call.

Kaoru pats his brother's hand to try to comfort him "It'll be okay, Hika. I'm sure she's not choosing Tamaki over us."

"It pisses me off that he gets the credit for what we did." Hikaru barks, punching the floor beside him "That should be us going on that date with her!" He grits his teeth; it should be him going on that date with her

"We should have just told her the truth, then." Kaoru sighs, staring down at the phone "We could have prevented this from happening."

They sit there in silence for a few moments, trying to calm themselves over this latest piece of news. Hikaru closes his eyes, trying to cope with the fact that Haruhi might get back with Tamaki. Kaoru nervously chews upon his lip, trying to think of anything, but Haruhi.

"Why don't we spy on their little date?" Hikaru says, interrupting their moment of silence "Since it's technically our date, we can go spy on them and it wouldn't be too rude."

Kaoru smiles a little at the thought of buying himself some more time to win Haruhi over. "That's a great idea, Hikaru."

"I just hope Haruhi hasn't already made up her mind." Hikaru sighs, his anger slowly dying down as sadness begins to bubble up inside of him.

"Haruhi said that she's taking it slowly, so I'm going to put my faith in her." Kaoru says, his eyes sparkling with slight hope.

Hikaru pats his brother's hand "I guess we'll see tomorrow, right?"

"For now, lets just get some sleep." Kaoru says, forcing a smile upon his face. Grasping each other's hands, the two of them head up the stairs together before going their separate ways.

With sad glances at each other, they make their way into their rooms for the night. As a part of their attempt to be more independent, they had begun sleeping alone.

Hikaru practically falls into bed, feeling his strength drain quickly. He glares up at the ceiling and tries to fight away the anger and sadness building up inside of him. Sure he had been pretty flirtatious and mischievous like before, but he was also trying to be more mature in the hopes that Haruhi might possibly see him differently. Yet his work didn't seem to pay off, seeing as he once again lost to Tamaki. Groaning with frustration, he grabs a nearby pillow and shoves it against his face.

Kaoru tunnels into his blanket and surrounds himself with pillows, hiding from the world as he fights off the feelings of sadness threatening to spill forth from him. He had tried his best to be mature and calm when it came to Haruhi. Yet, try as he might, he just can't stop himself from feeling like crying whenever things went wrong. This newest turn of events practically drained him of what little hope he had left of possibly dating Haruhi. Rolling over and burying his face in a pillow, he lets his tears escape.

Both boys feel the emptiness of their beds, wishing they could cuddle the other instead of being alone with their thoughts.

Tomorrow they will have to try their best to win against Tamaki or else they will have lost for good. Completely drained of energy, the twins drift off to sleep.


	8. Champagne or Pain for Real Friends

Haruhi stares down at her phone, wondering why Renge would text her such a strange message right as the Hitachiin limo pulls up out front. She shuts her phone and places it in her pocket, stepping inside the back seat and closing the door behind her.

"Thank you for the ride." Haruhi says with a smile, still giddy about her phone conversation with Tamaki last night.

"Don't mention it." Kaoru says with a shrug as he looks out the window.

Haruhi notices them acting slightly down and frowns. "Is everything okay, you guys?" She says, staring at Hikaru across from her.

"Just peachy." Hikaru mumbles as he slowly draws his eyes up from the floor to look at her "Congrats on your little date with Tamaki, by the way."

Blinking in shock, Haruhi lets out a sigh of irritation "How did you find out?"

"Tamaki called us and bragged all about it." Hikaru barks. Haruhi rolls her eyes, irritated that Tamaki couldn't keep quiet.

Kaoru looks over at her and frowns "Does this mean you two are back together?"

"No. It doesn't." Haruhi says quickly "It's not really a date. We're just going as friends. I wanted to thank him for ending the rumors, that's all."

Hikaru lets out a snort of irritation, making Haruhi feel guilty about her date.

"Well, I hope everything goes well." Kaoru says quietly before turning to look out the window. Haruhi smiles a little at Hikaru as he stares at her, feeling sad as he turns away to look out the window without returning the smile.

"Why are you guys so upset with me?" Haruhi barks as they remain turned away from her.

Kaoru lets out a long sigh before slowly turning to face her "If we tried telling you the truth, you'd never believe us."

"Try me." Haruhi says, glaring at him.

Hikaru lets out an annoyed growl and turns to face her "Because anything we say or do will just look like an attack on Tono, so we're not even going to bother."

"But, you don't even know how I'd react to the truth that you guys are talking about." Haruhi snaps, making Hikaru roll his eyes and turn back towards the window.

Kaoru frowns sideways at his brother before turning his attention to Haruhi. "Let's just stop talking for now okay, Haruhi?" He says quietly, looking out the window at the passing scenery.

Haruhi lets out a huff of irritation and crosses her arms against her chest "You guys can be so immature, sometimes."

The three of them sit in silence for the rest of the way to school.

After a rumor-less day spent with her best friends being irritated with her the whole time, Haruhi was glad to hear the last bell signalling that school's out for the day. With one last look at her identical friends, Haruhi frowns and exits the music room where Tamaki leans against the opposite wall waiting for her.

"You look upset, Haruhi. Are you okay?" He says, standing up from the wall.

Haruhi lets out a sigh "It's nothing, really. Hikaru and Kaoru are just upset with me, that's all."

Tamaki frowns "It's because of me, huh? I'm sorry I told them about the date."

"It definitely didn't help." Haruhi says, feeling her heart constrict as Hikaru and Kaoru walk past her with glares upon their faces. She feels sadness building up in her chest as she watches them retreat down the hallway "But, I guess they would have figured it out eventually."

Placing a hand upon her shoulder, Tamaki smiles at her and messes up her hair to try to cheer her up. She brings her eyes back to him and smiles slightly, trying to forget about the twins "Ready to go?"

Tamaki wraps an arm around her shoulders and they head down the hallways together, Haruhi staring down at her feet so as not to catch a glimpse of the twins ahead of them.

"I made us a reservation at this nice French restaurant in town called Le Stella." Tamaki says, smiling happily at the people who walk past them and eye them with curiosity, glad to have Haruhi beside him again.

Haruhi notices the looks and pulls away from him "Perhaps you should hold off on affection until after we're off campus."

Tamaki chuckles nervously "Sorry, Haru, I forget that I work here sometimes."

Trying his best not to touch her,they walk down the hallway side by side through the crowd of students. Haruhi's thoughts wander to the twins, hoping that they'll eventually forgive her for going on a date with Tamaki. While she has the right to date whoever she chooses, she just can't help but feel bad about upsetting her best friends.

They soon reach Tamaki's limo and he holds the door open for her, excited to begin his date with her. He climbs in after her and slams the door shut, commanding the driver where to go.

"La Stella has the best Fettuccine Alfredo." Tamaki says, smirking at Haruhi who sits across from him in the back seat of the limo.

Haruhi smooths out her school uniform and smiles slightly back at him "I've never had Fettuccine Alfredo before."

"You'll love it!" Tamaki says happily, his face taking on a goofy grin and making Haruhi laugh. "I'm sure I will, if you say so." Haruhi chuckles, her worry over the twins slowly dwindling away.

The scenery races past them as they sit in silence, simply staring at one another on their way to the restaurant. They soon come to a stop outside of a well-lit two-story building made out of crumbling brick. Tamaki jumps out of the back seat and opens the door for Haruhi, bowing at her as she clambers out beside him.

"It looks... quaint." Haruhi says, staring up at the neon sign above the building.

Tamaki rests a hand upon her shoulder and smiles up at the sign "Dad used to take me here all the time whenever he missed mom badly."

Haruhi looks at him sideways, her eyes shining with empathy "How is your mom doing, by the way?"

A big smile lights up Tamaki's face "I get to visit her during Christmas vacation."

"That's wonderful!" Haruhi says, squeezing his hand gently "I bet you're looking forward to it."

"That I am." Tamaki says happily, turning to look at her "It's getting kind of chilly out here. Let's head inside, yeah?"

Haruhi nods her head in agreement as he grips her hand tightly and pulls her into the restaurant behind him.

Their reservation is soon checked off and a waiter in a black suit leads them to a small table on the second floor. Beside it, a wide window overlooks the town before them, offering them an excellent view as they eat. Tamaki pulls the chair out for Haruhi and she blushes, sitting down in her chair and scooting it close to the table. Sitting across from her, Tamaki places his napkin upon his lap and orders a bottle of champagne for them to drink.

As they wait for their drinks to be brought to them, two dark-clothed males are quietly led to a table not too far away from them. Hikaru and Kaoru frown at Haruhi and Tamaki as the waiter sits them down and asks them for drinks.

"We'll have two glasses of sparkling water." Kaoru says, dismissing the man quickly so as not to draw any unwanted attention to them.

Haruhi smiles at Tamaki from across the table as their waiter pours them some champagne and takes their food orders. As he exits, Tamaki clears his throat nervously before beginning his apology speech.

"So, uh, listen, Haruhi..." He says quietly, blushing as she sips her champagne and stares at him "I wanted to apologize for bragging to the twins about our date."

Haruhi sets down her glass and shrugs "No use crying over spilled milk. What's done is done."

"Well, either way, it was wrong of me to share our business with others. I hope you'll forgive me." Tamaki says, bowing his head respectfully at her.

"Of course I will, Senpai." Haruhi says sweetly, their waiter interrupting them as he brings them their bowls of Fettuccine Alfredo and a basket of breadsticks.

Tamaki smiles happily before he starts to attack his pasta with his fork. Haruhi watches him and giggles before picking up her fork and examining the food "It smells delicious. I bet it tastes even better." She tries her best to copy him, accidentally dropping some noodles onto her lap. Tamaki chuckles and tries his best to show her how to hold a fork.

"They seem to be having a great time." Hikaru says morosely, looking the other way as their waiter brings them their waters.

"Is there anything else I can get you tonight, gentlemen?" The waiter asks, pulling out a paper tablet from his apron pocket.

Kaoru and Hikaru both wave him away "Nothing else for now, thanks." He slightly glares at them, but nods his head and takes his leave as the two boys continue to watch Haruhi and Tamaki's date.

"So, how is school going, Haruhi?" Tamaki asks her as he slurps up some noodles.

Haruhi dabs her mouth with her napkin "It's going pretty good, now that the rumors have stopped. Is your job still treating you well?"

"As good as it can. It can get pretty boring, but at least I feel at home." Tamaki says before taking a sip of his champagne "And, it helps having you there, too."

Blushing, Haruhi looks down at her bowl of noodles, making Tamaki smirk at her nervousness. He takes another drink of his champagne before dabbing off his mouth "Haruhi, about those rumors-"

Haruhi lights up and smiles as she holds up her glass of champagne "A toast to show you my thanks. I really appreciate what you did for me, Senpai."

Tamaki chuckles nervously and holds up his glass, gently clinking his against hers. With nervous smiles, they both take drinks of champagne and set their glasses down.

Hikaru rolls his eyes and downs his glass of water "Is he ever going to tell her the truth?"

"He's had so many opportunities to tell her." Kaoru sighs, taking a drink of his water "I don't understand why he hasn't told her yet."

"Isn't it obvious? They're having a good time, so he's just going to pretend he ended the rumors so he'll continue being in her good graces." Hikaru says, glaring at Tamaki.

As Haruhi continues eating her noodles, Tamaki finishes off his and lets out an 'ahh' of satisfaction. "That was delicious." He says, patting his mouth clean with his napkin as he stares across the table at Haruhi. She gives him a small smile before slipping some noodles into her mouth. He returns the smile happily, his eyes nervously leaving hers and turning their attention to two familiar boys sitting not too far behind her.

"Is something wrong?" Haruhi mumbles as his mouth slowly turns down into a small frown.

Tamaki flashes a pained smile at the twins, a feeling of guilt overcoming him as they return the same smile. He quickly averts his attention to Haruhi and sighs, standing up from his chair.

"Wh-what's he doing?" Hikaru says, looking to Kaoru for help.

Kaoru finishes off his water and sets the glass down "I have no idea, honestly."

"We're done already?" Haruhi says, eyeing Tamaki with confusion as she swallows her mouthful of noodles.

Looking down at her sadly, Tamaki walks over and places his hands upon her shoulders. Haruhi stares up at him and frowns, having no idea why he's acting this way. "What're you doing, Senpai? Is everything okay?" She asks him as she places her hands upon his.

"Haruhi, I'm not the one who stopped the rumors." Tamaki mumbles quietly as he looks down into her eyes.

"I don't understand what you're saying." Haruhi says, puzzled "If you're not the one who stopped them, then why did you take the credit for it?"

Tamaki runs his hand through his hair and chuckles nervously. "You see, Haruhi, I really miss you." He explains "And, well, I tried to tell you the truth, but you just got so excited about going on a date with me and-"

"And, you let me believe you stopped the rumors so I could stay happy." Haruhi finishes for him.

"Yes, that's exactly it." Tamaki sighs "I really was going to tell you the truth, but I just didn't want you to be upset anymore."

Haruhi blushes as he bends down and kisses her upon the forehead, slight tingles running down her spine. "If you didn't stop the rumors, then who did?" She asks as he pulls away from her. Tamaki gently turns her head towards the twins "They really did stop the rumors. I'm not the one you should be thanking."

Haruhi stares at the twins, her jaw set tight with disbelief as they nervously chuckle and wave at her from their table nearby. Tamaki stands to leave and she frowns, quickly grabbing a hold of his hand to stop him.

"You don't have to leave, you know?" She says to him, drawing her attention away from the twins.

"I know that, but this isn't my date to be on." Tamaki says, patting her on the head before he heads over to where the twins sit.

"Is everything okay, Boss?" Kaoru says, looking up at Tamaki as he gives them a small smile.

"What's going on?" Hikaru asks him as he looks over at Haruhi.

"I believe someone owes you both a date." Tamaki says sadly "She knows the truth, now. Go collect a thank you from her before I change my mind."

Hikaru and Kaoru blink at him in shock before throwing their arms around him. He giggles and hugs them back "Looks like I actually have competition for Haruhi's heart, this time."

"I-I don't know about that." Hikaru mumbles as he pulls away from Tamaki.

Tamaki chuckles and messes up his hair "I've seen the way she looks at you both. I know there's something there."

"So, you're not mad at us?" Kaoru asks him, taken aback by the sudden turn of events.

"Why would I? You didn't do anything wrong." Tamaki says quietly "Just keep her happy."

"You're just going to leave, then?" Hikaru says, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Tonight I am. But, make no mistake, I still love her and am still going to wait for her to make up her mind." He says "I wish you two good luck. I'm glad you both get a chance to win her heart." With a pat on both of their heads, he waves goodbye and heads out of the restaurant.

Hikaru and Kaoru share looks of apprehension before slowly making their way over to Haruhi. She glares at them as they approach her, completely embarrassed as the surrounding people eye them with interest.

"Hey, Haruhi." Kaoru says, giving her a hesitant smile.

"You guys seriously couldn't have just told me the truth?" Haruhi snaps, standing up from her chair.

Hikaru smiles hopefully "You mean, you believe us?!"

"Can we not do this here? It's bad enough you drove Tamaki off." Haruhi says sternly as she heads towards the stairs.

"We didn't drive Tamaki off. He chose to leave." Hikaru barks as he follows her to the stairs.

"Honestly, Haruhi, we didn't mean to ruin your date." Kaoru says as he trails behind them.

Haruhi's jaw tightens up as they make their way down the stairs, trying her best not to yell at them in the middle of the restaurant. Hikaru and Kaoru chase after her in awkward silence, confused as to why she's so mad at them. They walk through the restaurant with people giving them strange looks.

"Why are you angry, Haruhi?" Kaoru says as they exit the building and come to a stop on the sidewalk outside of the restaurant.

Haruhi crosses her arms over her chest and glares at them "Why did you guys have to spy on me?"

"We were just trying to make sure things went fine." Kaoru says quickly.

"And, to ensure that Tamaki actually told you the truth." Hikaru adds, glaring back at her.

Letting out a guffaw, Haruhi narrows her eyes at them "I highly doubt that you guys would do something so selfless."

Hikaru and Kaoru frown at her, taken aback by her rudeness.

"It really is true, Haruhi." Kaoru mumbles quietly.

"This sucks! We do something nice for you and you do nothing but chew us out." Hikaru growls, turning away from her.

"You ruined my date, you upset our friend, and you embarrassed me." Haruhi says angrily "And, now I don't even have a ride home."

"We can give you a ride home if you'd like." Kaoru sighs, pointing his thumb towards their limo.

Haruhi rolls her eyes and shakes her head "You think I'm just going to forget about this because you're giving me a ride?"

"No, we're not. We just want to make sure you get home safely, Haruhi." Kaoru says, smiling genuinely at her.

"Alright, fine." Haruhi sighs in defeat, heading towards their limo. Kaoru quickly opens the door for her and she climbs in without saying a word, taking her usual seat and staring out the window. Hikaru and Kaoru climb into the backseat after her and shut the door slowly, both of them feeling slightly dejected as they sit there in silence.

The limo starts up silently and begins its journey through town, the city lights passing them by. Haruhi lets out a sigh and turns to face them, feeling slightly bad as they cuddle together upon the seat with glum faces.

"If you guys really did stop the rumors, when and why did you stop them?" She says, trying her best to remain civil.

Kaoru eyes Hikaru out of the corner of his eyes before looking at her "We did it Friday afternoon after Host Club."

"You remember that girl from the hallway?" Hikaru mumbles "She was spreading the rumors and Renge helped make things worse."

Haruhi blinks in remembrance and takes her phone out, re-reading the text from Renge.Her eyes widen as she reads it, finally understanding the context of what she meant. She closes her phone and turns her attention to the twins.

"Exactly how did you stop them?" Haruhi says, eyeing them curiously.

"Threats and the usual." Hikaru shrugs, smirking with satisfaction.

Haruhi glares at them "I hope you weren't too mean to them."

"Hikaru may have gone a little far." Kaoru says with a grin. "But, I only gave them a taste of their medicine, that's all." Hikaru chuckles.

"So, why did you do it?" Haruhi says, crossing her arms over her chest as she waits for an answer. Hikaru and Kaoru's cheeks turn a slight shade of pink as they stare at her across from them."Because we love you, Haruhi, and just wanted to see you smile." Kaoru says as he chews on his lip. "And, we promised you we'd stop them." Hikaru mumbles as he notices a blush crawl into Haruhi's cheeks.

Averting her eyes to the floor, Haruhi continues to talk "We could have avoided all of this if you guys had just told me the truth."

"Well, as we said, you wouldn't have believed us if we had told you." Hikaru says, folding his arms.

"We didn't need gratitude or anything, so we figured you didn't need to know." Kaoru explains "Just seeing you smile and relax was enough for us."

Hikaru rolls his eyes "But Tono had to go and ruin everything, basically leading you back to him."

"It didn't lead me back to him, so quit saying that." Haruhi barks "And, even if it did, I'm not yours so you have no control over my actions."

The limo pulls up outside of Haruhi's apartment complex and comes to a stop. Haruhi slides out of her seat towards the back door, her jaw clenched. Hikaru and Kaoru frown as she opens the door and jumps out without saying a word, slamming the door shut behind her.

As the limo drives off, Haruhi begins climbing the stairs to her apartment, sighing as guilt starts to overcome her. Despite the twins having spied on her date, they really hadn't done anything wrong and she had just yelled at them for doing something nice for her.

"Maybe I should apologize?" She says as she reaches the front door to her apartment and heads in.

The next morning, Hikaru and Kaoru arrive in front of her house as usual. Haruhi takes a deep breath, readying herself to apologize to them and possibly get yelled at. With a smile on her face, she hops into the back seat and shuts the door behind her.

"Good morning!" She says happily, her smile instantly fading as she notices them ignoring her. Hikaru's fingers fly over his handheld game's buttons and Kaoru leans back in his seat with a book in his hands, the both of them seeming to have not heard her.

Haruhi frowns and tries her best not to sound sad "I'm sorry for yelling at you guys, yesterday. I hope you know I really appreciate what you did for me."

Kaoru's brows furrow as he turns a page in his book and continues reading. "What're you reading, Kaoru?" Haruhi says, trying to draw his attention away from his book. He simply licks his finger and turns another page.

Haruhi looks towards Hikaru and watches him bite his lip as he plays his game "Whatcha playing, Hika?" He stares at his screen intently and continues playing, appearing to have not heard her.

A heavyiness builds in Haruhi's chest as they sit there in silence, the two boys minding their own business and Haruhi sadly watching them as they ignore her. The limo soon comes to a stop outside of Ouran and Haruhi breathes a sigh of relief as she opens the door, glad to be out of that situation.

Stepping out of the limo, Haruhi straightens out her dress and waits for the twins to follow suit, hoping they'll talk to her and were simply busy with their hobbies. She smiles expectantly as they clamber out of the limo, watching them gather their things and wave the limo away.

"I'm looking forward to another peaceful day, thanks to you guys." She says as she starts to walk across the courtyard. Silence responds to her as she looks left and right and notices they aren't walking with her. She catches them walking together towards the school out of the corner of her eyes and feels her heart grow heavy. With a somber sigh, she follows after them into the school.

After being ignored in class and having to eat lunch alone, Haruhi was not looking forward to Host Club. Despite feeling dejected because of her friends, she puts on a fake smile and tries her best not to look at Hikaru and Kaoru as she makes her way into the music room.

Kazuo notices the lack of sparkle in her eye and gestures to Satoshi to follow him. With a squeal of excitement, he runs up to hug her "Haruhi, I'm so glad to see you!"

"It's good to see you again, too." Haruhi says, returning the hug half-heartedly. Satoshi appears behind them and pats her on the head as a small frown forms on her face. She swallows back her sadness and forces herself to smile up at him. A poke upon her shoulder brings her attention away from them and she turns to see Renge nervously standing beside her.

"H-haruhi, I'm really sorry about those rumors." She says quietly "You didn't respond to my text, so I didn't know if you were mad at me or just didn't see my text."

Without saying a word, Haruhi stands there as Renge grabs her into a hug, crying like a blubbering baby against her shoulder. "Please don't let the twins hurt me! They told me that I was going to regret starting the rumors and... and-" She mumbles before getting cut off from Haruhi. "Even if they're not talking to me, I won't let them hurt you." Haruhi says with a sad smile, trying her best to reassure Renge.

Renge eyes her curiously "Are you having a fight with them?" Haruhi tears up and nods her head 'yes', wiping her eyes quickly as she pulls away from Renge. Despite being used to fighting with the twins, Haruhi can't seem to shake away the sadness threatening to overcome her. Renge frowns, not used to seeing Haruhi look so sad and pulls her into a hug.

Hikaru and Kaoru glare at them as they take their seats upon the couch, trying their best to continue ignoring Haruhi despite wanting to comfort her. Masahiro claps his hands in the air as usual and has everyone prepare themselves for another day of hosting.

The doors open wide to reveal a crowd of yellow-clad girls who squeal with delight and crowd the music room. Haruhi bows at her usual clientele and leads them to her favorite couch, trying her best not to look at her best friends nearby. They take their seats and begin their usual discussions over cups of tea and plates of cookies.

Haruhi smirks as the girls around her giggle, her thoughts wandering to the twins. As she contemplates how to apologize to them, Renge interrupts her thoughts with a tap on the shoulder. "Would you like me to help patch things up between you and the twins?" She says, smiling sweetly. Haruhi's eyes wander over to the two identical boys as they take turns caressing each other's cheeks. "I owe them an apology. Hikaru and Kaoru did nothing wrong to me and all I did was yell at them." Haruhi says quietly, drawing in her guests as they 'ooh' and 'ahh' over this new piece of drama.

Hikaru's eyes wander towards the group of girls as he hears Haruhi mention their names. He pulls out of Kaoru's grip and turns to glare at Haruhi "You can take your apology and shove it. Go be with your precious Tamaki, seeing as he makes you happy by simply doing nothing."

"Hikaru, this isn't the best time for this." Haruhi hisses at him as she gestures at her guests with her eyes.

Kaoru places a comforting hand upon Hikaru's shoulder "Maybe we should talk things out after Host Club?"

Letting his anger take over, Hikaru ignores his brother and continues snapping at Haruhi "There's no reason to try to talk with her if she's just going to go running back to Tamaki. Clearly me and you will always be second best, Kaoru!"

Haruhi closes her eyes as she feels tears threaten to escape her eyes, again. With a deep breath, she opens her eyes and stands up from the couch "Would you please excuse me?" Hikaru glares at her and Kaoru frowns as they watch her bow at her guests and quickly head for the music room exit. "You overdid it again, Hikaru." Kaoru sighs. Masahiro lets out a groan of frustration, shouting after her as she leaves.

Leaning against the wall of the hallway, Haruhi frowns as she starts to realize that Tamaki isn't the only one she has feelings for. For the longest time, the twins had been nothing but friends to her. However, try as she might, she just can't ignore the feelings building up inside of her.

"I need to talk to them." She says out loud, laying her head back against the wall and closing her eyes.

Kazuo walks into the hallway and spies her quietly leaning against the wall with a gloomy look upon her face. "You okay, Haruhi?" He says, taking a stand beside her. Haruhi opens her eyes and looks at him "I'm doing alright, I guess. This whole break up and fight thing is making me go crazy." Kazuo wraps an arm around her waist and lays her head on his shoulder "Do you want to talk about it?"

A slight blush crawls into Haruhi's cheeks and she smiles sideways at him "I don't want to disappoint anyone or lose any friends, but I really want to take things slowly. Last time, things got rushed and I was basically forced into dating Tamaki because people told me I loved him. I want it to go differently this time."

"Then take it slow and just relax. Enjoy life and things are bound to happen naturally." Kazuo says "But, I definitely suggest talking to the twins. There is clearly something going on between you three and I think you should work it out together."

"Thanks for listening to me, Kazuo." Haruhi says, smiling happily at him. Kazuo caresses her face and gives her a quick peck upon the cheek "Anything for a dear friend." Haruhi blushes as he leans his forehead against hers, smirking brightly at her. As they stand there together, Kaoru comes out into the hallway and frowns as he sees them cuddling. He lets out a sigh right as the bell signalling the end of school resounds through the hall. Averting his eyes to the ground, Kaoru does his best to pretend he doesn't see Haruhi and Kazuo pull away from each other.

"See ya around, Haruhi." Kazuo says with a wave of his hand, walking past Kaoru and winking at him as he heads into the music room.

Haruhi turns her head and sees Kaoru standing there by the music room entrance, frowning as she realizes he must have witnessed what happened between her and Kazuo. "Hey, Haru, I was coming to see if you needed a ride." Kaoru mumbles quietly, stepping away from the doorway as their guests start to exit the room.

"If you don't mind being stuck with me, sure." Haruhi says, smiling painfully at him. He returns the smile, Hikaru appearing behind him with an angry Masahiro. "I hope you plan on making up for the money we lost, today." Masahiro says, glaring at Haruhi. "Put it on our tab and we'll take care of it." Kaoru says, waving him away. With a look of irritation, Masahiro heads down the hallway opposite of them.

"Ready to go, Haruhi?" Kaoru says as he and Hikaru turn to head towards the front of the school. With a smile of relief, Haruhi follows after them, glad to have Kaoru at least talking to her.

Sitting there in silence, Hikaru and Haruhi stare at one another in the backseat of the limo; Kaoru frowning as he tries calming Hikaru down with a hand upon his shoulder. The town rushes by them as they make their way towards Haruhi's apartment complex.

Haruhi bows before them "I'm sorry for being so mean to you both. You're the best friends I could have ever asked for and I feel like I almost pushed you away."

Cringing at the word 'friends', Hikaru lets out a sigh of irritation "It's fine, it just really hurt to be hated for simply helping you out."

"We like having you as a friend as well, Haruhi. That's why we were fine with helping you." Kaoru says "We just wished you would have talked things out with us last night instead of getting so angry."

"That's why I'd like to thank you properly for helping me." Haruhi says, smiling sweetly at them "Would you like to come up for dinner and tea?"

The two boys stare at one another out of the corner of their eyes, remaining silent as the limo comes to a stop outside of Haruhi's place. She stares at them expectantly as they continue to stay silent.

"Sorry for being a bother." She says quietly before jumping out of the backseat of the limo.

Taking the stairs quickly, Haruhi feels her eyes water as she tries to forget about the limo behind her. She reaches her front door and tries to unlock it, her shaky hands having trouble with the keys.

Kaoru and Hikaru sigh in sync, both of them deciding that their charade has gone on long enough. Afraid to lose their friend and possible lover they both climb out of the backseat and shut the door behind them.

Cupping their hands to their mouths, they decide to call out to her. "Hey, Haruhi-!" Kaoru shouts, making her accidentally drop her keys as she hears his voice. "Does your offer still stand?!" Hikaru finishes for his brother; Haruhi turning around and smiling brightly as her eyes brim with tears. She nods her head profusely, the twins breathing sighs of relief.

As Haruhi wipes away her tears and picks up the keys to unlock the door, the twins make their way up the stairs to meet with her. She slides the key into the lock right as they come up behind her and hug her from behind. "You do owe us a dinner date, remember?" Hikaru says with a mischievous smirk. Haruhi pushes open the door and wiggles away from them "I remember, silly."

They head into her apartment and Kaoru closes the door behind them as she walks into the kitchen to begin their tea and dinner. "I hope you don't mind leftovers." She says as she puts on a pot of tea. Hikaru and Kaoru lean against the door frame of her kitchen and watch as she digs through her refrigerator for some leftover ramen. "You know how we feel about leftovers." Kaoru says with a smirk as she starts to boil the ramen.

Haruhi prepares their utensils, bowls, and cups for their dinner as the two boys watch her go about the kitchen without saying a word. She becomes nervous as they remain quiet, jumping as the teapot whistle breaks the silence. As she goes to grab it off the burner, her hand accidentally touches the pot itself and shrinks back as it becomes burnt. Kaoru leaves his place on the wall and grabs her hand, bringing it to his lips and kissing it gently. Haruhi's heart flutters at his touch, her cheeks turning a slight shade of pink as she stares at her hand.

The sound of water boiling over breaks their moment and she quickly pulls away, grabbing the ramen off of the heat. "Would you guys set the table?" She says, pointing to the stack of bowls, cups and utensils upon the counter as she prepares their meal. Hikaru and Kaoru do as they're told, exiting the kitchen.

Moments later, they find themselves sitting at the Fujioka kotatsu with bowls of ramen and cups of green tea. Kaoru takes a bite of his noodles and smiles at the taste, making Haruhi blush as he stares at her.

Hikaru looks down at his bowl of ramen and sighs "Hey, Haru, how do you feel about Tamaki right now?"

Haruhi sets down her bowl "I know that I still love him, just not as much as I used to."

"So, do you plan on still going after him?" Hikaru asks her quietly.

"Honestly, I don't know. I really want to take things slowly and just see what happens." Haruhi shrugs.

Kaoru gives her a nod of understanding "That's a good idea, Haruhi. Me and Hika will back you up until you figure things out."

"Like we said, Haruhi... we love you." Hikaru mumbles quietly.

A genuine smile of happiness spreads across her face, her heart swelling with love at the sincerity of her friend's words. She stares at the two boys across from her, seeing them in a different light than before.

Hikaru and Kaoru notice the strange look upon her face and frown. "We can't help you if you keep things to yourself, Haruhi." Kaoru says, setting his bowl down upon the table. "Tell us what's up." Hikaru says, copying his brother.

Haruhi shakes her head to clear her thoughts and smiles "It's nothing. Don't worry about it. I'm okay." "We're not taking okay for an answer." Hikaru snaps, making her swallow back a nervous knot.

Heart beating nervously, Haruhi decides to share her feelings "I'm just happy to have you guys as supports." Both boys blush slightly as she continues on "I regret being so mean to you guys. I could barely stand a day without you guys. I don't want to imagine what a whole life would be like." Her face heats up at her words "I-I've got to go do dishes." She gets up and quickly runs into her kitchen, closing the door behind her. Her chest constricts as she stands there, completely shocked by the fact that she just admitted her feelings to her friends.

Sharing looks of confusion, Hikaru and Kaoru approach the door and open it slowly. Haruhi stands there in the middle of the kitchen with her back turned to them. Kaoru approaches her and gently places his hands upon her shoulders, making her heart skip a beat. "Are you okay, Haruhi?" He says softly.

Hikaru leans against the door frame and smirks "You sure do dishes in a funny manner." Haruhi lets out a small chuckle, making both of her friends smile. Kaoru wraps his arms around her waist and rests his head upon hers. He sighs and gently squeezes her, making slight tingles run down her spine.

Coming around to the front of her, Hikaru looks down at her and notices her face turning bright red with embarrassment. He grips her chin and brings her face up to look at him, blushing as their eyes meet. Haruhi nervously chews on her bottom lip as he stares down at her.

"We feel the same way about you, Haruhi." He says quietly, his blush darkening as he confesses their feelings to her. A bright smile lights up Haruhi's face as she looks up at them.

"Let's not fight like this again. Okay, Haru?" Kaoru sighs as he hugs her tightly "And, let's not ignore each other, too. It hurt a lot to do that to you."

"I like that idea." Haruhi says, burying her face in Hikaru's chest as he pulls her into a hug.

Both boys smile happily and kiss her upon the top of her head, the three of them nervously hugging one another. Too busy with paying attention to one another, they don't notice the front door opening or Ranka walking into the apartment. He blinks in shock at the scene before him and angrily clears his throat, watching as the three kids quickly pull away from each other.

"H-hey, dad, is everything okay?" Haruhi stutters nervously, pretending nothing was happening between her and the twins.

Ranka eyes the teens, noticing the nervousness upon their faces "I forgot my wallet." He glares at the two boys and they quickly feign yawns, pardoning themselves as they rush towards the front door. Haruhi frowns as she watches them slip their shoes on and leave, saddened by the abrupt ending of their visit.

"So, what was going on in here?" Ranka says, noticing the sadness upon Haruhi's face.

Haruhi runs a hand through her hair nervously "Nothing, dad. I was just doing dishes."

A smirk plays upon Ranka's face and he pats her on the head,"I'll look the other way for now. But, I know something is going on between you three and I really hope you'll tell me when the time is right." Haruhi blushes as she watches him leave, trying her best not to think about what just happened. She breathes a sigh of relief as he closes the door behind him, glad that she's on good terms with the twins. Now she would just need to make up with Tamaki and everything would be great.

Ranka approaches the Hitachiin limo still sitting outside of his apartment and knocks on the back window. Hikaru and Kaoru nervously open the door, trying their best to flash him genuine smiles. He glares at them and points a finger at them both "You better take good care of my daughter or I will kill you both. Got it?" Swallowing back nervous knots, they nod their heads 'yes' profusely, watching as he smirks and waves goodbye; heading down the street in the opposite direction.

"Did he just give us his blessing?" Kaoru says, taken aback by Ranka's sudden actions.

Hikaru smiles brightly "I think he did..."

"Guess we'll just have to work harder to win Haruhi over." Kaoru says, feeling giddy at the thought of Haruhi being with him.

"Right you are." Hikaru nods his head in agreement, imagining a future with Haruhi in his arms.

The two of them daydream as their limo takes off towards their home.


	9. Twin Skeletons

Arriving on time as usual, the Hitachiin limo pulls out front of Haruhi's apartment complex and comes to a stop. The door opens and two identical "devils" peek their heads out, smirking at their yellow-clad friend.

"Happy Halloween, Haruhi!" Hikaru and Kaoru say in sync, mischievous smirks spread across their faces.

Haruhi smiles at them and crawls into the back seat of their limo, taking her usual spot across from them "Nice devil horns. They suit you two perfectly."

"You know you love them on us." Kaoru says, winking at her.

Hikaru crosses his arms against his chest "We couldn't help but notice that you didn't dress up for Halloween, Haruhi."

"You know I don't really celebrate the holidays, guys." Haruhi shrugs, staring out the window to her right.

"Never too late to try." Kaoru says with a smirk, reaching into his backpack and grabbing out a pair of kitty ears "Put these on." He tosses them across the backseat and they land beside her on the seat. She glares at him, not surprised that they had a costume ready for her.

"I'm not wearing those." Haruhi says, turning her attention to the ears beside her.

"Aww, come on, Haruhi. When did you get so boring?" Hikaru pouts.

Haruhi rolls her eyes and crosses her arms against her chest "Not happening."

"Please, Haruhi? You'd make the cutest little raccoon in the whole school." Kaoru says, copying his brother's actions.

"But, these are cat ears." Haruhi says, blinking in confusion as she grabs the ears in her hands.

"Yeah, so? To us, you'd just be our little raccoon." Hikaru says, smiling at her from across the backseat.

Sighing in defeat, Haruhi puts the headband on her head, blushing as they flash goofy grins at her. "Happy now?" She quickly averts her eyes to the ground, feeling silly for wearing the cat ears.

"So, did you get Honey-Senpai's invite to his Halloween party?" Kaoru says, drawing her attention back to them.

"Yeah. I was actually surprised that he was able to throw a party like this. I thought he'd be busy with college." Haruhi says.

"Are you going to go?" Hikaru asks her, trying not to sound too curious.

"I don't really go to parties. You know that." Haruhi says, adjusting the ears on her head.

"Well, we're not taking no for an answer, Haruhi." Kaoru says, smirking playfully at her from across the backseat "You're going even if we have to make you."

"We'll stop by your place after school to put on our costumes then we'll head over to the party." Hikaru says, copying his brother.

"But, I have to study. It's not like you can actually force me to go." Haruhi says sternly.

Hikaru and Kaoru's shoulders slump as the corners of their mouths droop into frowns.

Haruhi rolls her eyes "I'm sorry guys, but the answer is no. I don't really feel like going to a party."

The two boys look embrace one another in an attempt to appear heartbroken. "Kaoru, why won't she go?" Hikaru mumbles, burying his face in Kaoru's shirt. Kaoru pats Hikaru's head, staring at Haruhi with glossy eyes "I don't know, Hika, but I hope she'll change her mind."

"Stop it, you guys. You can't change my mind." Haruhi sighs.

They slowly turn to look at her, their eyes glazed over with tears. Haruhi notices the sadness upon their faces and swallows back the feeling of wanting to reach out and grab them into hugs.

"Alright, fine. I'll go." She groans in defeat, smirking as they giggle and high five each other "Just stop making those silly faces."

The limo comes to a stop outside of Ouran High and Hikaru opens the door, gesturing for Haruhi to exit first. She smiles at him and hops out, holding onto her cat ears and dress as she goes.

Hikaru watches her adjust her dress as she waits for them to get out, wondering if he should ask her to be his date to the party. He quickly rolls his eyes, knowing that she'd never say 'yes'.

He steps out of the limo and comes to a stand behind Haruhi, smirking as she fidgets with her cat ears.

"Need some help?" He says, wiggling the ears on her headband.

Haruhi looks up at him and glares,"It's just weird having them on, that's all."

"They're quite cute on you, Haruhi." Hikaru mumbles, his cheeks slightly darkening as he looks down at her. Haruhi blushes and quickly averts her eyes, staring out at the crowd before them. A number of kids rush by wearing similar "costumes", making her feel a little better about wearing these silly ears.

Kaoru clambers out behind them, frowning as he watches his brother flirt with Haruhi. Knowing Hikaru, he'll try to ask Haruhi out to the party as soon as possible. He'll have to make his move quickly before that happens.

Wrapping an arm around Haruhi's shoulders, he blushes as she looks up at him and flashes him a small smile,"Hey, Haru, I was wondering-" The arrival of a familiar blonde interrupts his question as Haruhi pulls away from him, waving at Tamaki.

"Hey, you guys, Happy Halloween." Tamaki says cheerfully, bowing his head at his friends.

"You're not wearing a costume?" Hikaru says with a playful smirk.

"That's so not like you, boss." Kaoru says, shaking his head.

Tamaki frowns "Father told me I wasn't allowed to while I was on the job. I'm glad to see you guys are dressed up, though." He gestures at Hikaru and Kaoru's horns before turning his attention to Haruhi, blushing as he takes in her cat ears.

"You look adorable, Haruhi!" He says, reaching up to play with her cat ears.

Hikaru shoots a glare at him, angry that Haruhi is accepting his attention without getting angry at him like she did with them.

A blush creeps into Haruhi's cheeks and she giggles "Thanks, Senpai."

Kaoru notices Tamaki's affect on her and turns his head to the side, too jealous to watch them be together.

Clearing his throat, Tamaki drops his hands to his sides and stares down at her "So, Haruhi, you wouldn't happen to be going to Honey's Halloween party tonight, would you?"

Hikaru feels anger boiling up in him and takes a few steps away from them, trying his best not to snap. "Leave it to Tono to ask her out already." He growls under his breath.

Haruhi notices Hikaru leaving out of the corner of her eye and frowns, drawing her attention back to Tamaki.

"It just so happens that I am going. Why do you ask?" Haruhi says, staring up at him.

Tamaki feels his face heat up and he clears his throat again "I was wondering if you would be my date?"

Kaoru feels his heart ache with disappointment and sighs, angry at himself for taking his time to ask Haruhi to be his date.

Haruhi blinks in surprise, taken aback by his question. She nervously scratches her head as she eyes her two friends out of the corners of her eye "Thanks for asking, Senpai, but I'm going to have to politely decline."

Hikaru and Kaoru smile to themselves, sneaking sideways glances at the two. Despite feeling bad to see their friend so sad, they can't help but feel giddy about Haruhi turning him down.

Tamaki stares down at her with disappointment in his eyes, smiling painfully "Oh. I see. Are you going with someone else, then?" He eyes Hikaru and Kaoru curiously before turning his attention back to her.

"Not that it matters, but no." Haruhi sighs, frowning as she notices the sadness in his eyes.

"I guess I should get going then, huh?" Tamaki says quietly, running his hand through his hair as he starts to turn to leave.

"Wait!" Haruhi says quickly, placing a comforting hand upon his arm.

He turns his face to look at her, his eyes glossy from un-shed tears "What is it, Haruhi?"

"I wanted to know if you'd like to do something this weekend." Haruhi says with a smile "To make up for me abruptly ending our last date."

A smile lights up Tamaki's face while frowns replace the smiles upon Hikaru and Kaoru's faces.

"That's great! How does a picnic sound this weekend at noon?" Tamaki says happily, grabbing Haruhi into a hug.

"Sounds good to me." Haruhi says, gently pulling away from the hug "I'll see you then. I've gotta head to class, now."

Tamaki chuckles "Oh, yeah. I forgot that you're still in school. I've got to head back to work, anyway. Have a good day, Haruhi."

Waving goodbye to each other, Haruhi watches Tamaki walk away with the hope that she wasn't too mean to him. Hikaru and Kaoru catch each others' eye and share understanding nods, deciding not to hold back this time.

"Hey, Haruhi, say cheese!" Hikaru says, laying his head on her shoulder with a playful grin.

Haruhi looks sideways at him "What're you doing, Hikaru?"

"Taking a selfie, of course." Kaoru says, copying his brother as Hikaru holds his phone up in front of the three of them and snaps a quick picture.

"Hey, erase that right now, Hikaru." Haruhi barks, glaring sideways at him.

"Aww, you look so cute, Haruhi." Kaoru says, staring at Hikaru's phone "You should make that your background, Hika." Haruhi rolls her eyes, grabbing the phone from them to look at the picture.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I look horrible in this picture." She says, glaring at herself in the image upon the face of her screen.

Hikaru looks over her shoulder at the picture "No, Haruhi, you don't. Kaoru, want a copy, too?"

A small blush creeps into Haruhi's cheeks as she realizes how close they are to her face.

Hikaru's breath tickles her cheek as he remains quietly by her side, making her slightly nervous. She curiously eyes him out of the corner of her eye, watching a smile spread on his face as he makes the selfie his background picture.

Kaoru gently brushes hair off of her shoulder as he watches his brother play with his phone, making tingles run down her spine. She takes a deep breath to calm herself, hoping they don't notice the weird way she is acting.

"And, now that we've tricked you, Haruhi..." Hikaru purrs quietly, drawing Haruhi's attention towards him as he puts his phone away.

"It's time for your treat." Kaoru whispers, finishing his brother's sentence as he turns her to face him.

"Treat?" Haruhi stutters, confused as she stares into his eyes.

Kaoru grips her chin and gently brings his lips to hers. Her eyes widening in shock, Haruhi intakes her breath as her mind struggles to come to terms with what is going on. She feels her pulse racing as he presses his lips more firmly against hers, changing the angle of his mouth slightly. She squeezes her eyes shut, too embarrassed to look him in the face.

Grumbling with irritation, she feels Hikaru's grip on her shoulder tighten and Kaoru seems to take the hint. A small smile forms on Kaoru's face as he pulls away from her and caresses her cheek, causing her eyes to slowly flutter open. She finds him staring down at her and blushes, unsure of what to say. "I love you, Haruhi." He says cheerfully, ignoring the look upon his brother's face.

Feeling her heart flutter in her chest, Haruhi brings her hand to her lips as she tries to make sense of everything. It's not the first kiss they've shared, but it's definitely the first time his kiss seems to have affected her so much.

Kaoru frowns as she remains quiet, waiting for a response. Hikaru glares at his brother jealously, grabbing a hold of Haruhi's arm and taking her by surprise as he turns her to face him.

"Hika?" She mumbles quietly, staring at him in confusion.

He stares down at her with his flustered face and presses his mouth roughly against hers, closing his eyes as he goes. She swallows a nervous knot, reaching to grasp at her dress. Just like his brother before him, the two of them have shared a kiss before as well. Only this time the kiss seems to be more desperate than before, almost as if he's competing with his brother. The same tingle runs down her spine and she panics internally, unsure of how to deal with this. A metallic taste creeps into her mouth, drawing her out of her thoughts. She lets out a cry of pain and he quickly pulls away.

"Sorry." He mutters quietly, averting his eyes to the ground.

Sucking upon her injured lip, Haruhi nervously fiddles with the hem of her dress. "Why did you guys do that?" She frowns, unable to look both boys in the eyes.

Kaoru comes up behind her and drapes his arms around her shoulders "Would you be my date for the Halloween party, Har-u-hi?"

Hikaru glares at his brother before turning to look at Haruhi "If you don't choose Kaoru, would you consider me, Haruhi?"

"I'm not choosing between you two, so just stop." Haruhi snaps, pulling away from Kaoru.

"Sorry, Haru." both boys say in sync.

Haruhi lets out a sigh of irritation "It's fine. Just stop making a scene, alright? I don't need rumors to spread again."

"So, what is your answer?" Kaoru says, attempting to drape an arm around her shoulders but pulling back hesitantly as she sends a glare his way.

"Like I said, I'm not choosing one over the other, so I'm declining both of your offers." Haruhi says, smoothing out her dress.

Hikaru and Kaoru share looks of worry before throwing their arms around her, squeezing her between them. Haruhi lets out a groan of frustration and looks up at them, her heart torn between being mad at them and being embarrassed.

"Hugging me isn't going to make me change my mind." She grumbles "We better hurry up before we're late for class."

"What if we asked you to be our date?" Hikaru says, holding her tightly.

Haruhi rolls her eyes "That wouldn't be fair to the both of you and you know it."

"Obviously we don't mind if we suggested it." Kaoru says, copying his brother "Wouldn't that change your mind?"

"Will we finally go to class if I say yes?" Haruhi mumbles from between them.

Hikaru and Kaoru smirk "Of course!"

"Alright, fine. Just let me go already so I can breathe again." Haruhi says, sighing with relief as they slowly unravel their arms from around her.

Readjusting her uniform, Haruhi makes her way through the crowd towards the entrance of the school. Hikaru and Kaoru smile after her, excited for the party.

The bell signalling the end of the school day rings throughout the music room, dismissing the Host Club and its guests.

"Thank you all for coming, ladies." Hikaru says, throwing an arm around his brother's shoulders.

"Have a frightening Halloween." Kaoru says, smirking as the girls around them giggle while leaving.

Haruhi bows to each of her guests as they file out of the music room, thanking them for coming.

As the last girl exits the room, Masahiro closes the door and smiles "This was a very profitable day. Good job, everyone." He looks towards Haruhi and nods "Looks like you'll be able to pay your debt off, after all."

"It's probable that there hasn't been a debt for a while, now." Yasuchika says, pushing past him "Which means Haruhi doesn't owe Kyoya anything and thus she doesn't need to be here anymore."

"Aww, but I don't want Haru to leave the Host Club after we just became friends." Satoshi whines, following after Yasuchika.

"I'm not going anywhere. I love the Host Club." Haruhi says, making Satoshi light up "I had my doubts about the debt. I always felt Kyoya Senpai used it as a way to secretly keep me around."

"And, since you stuck around us for so long you came to love it, right, Har-u-hi?" the twins sing-song together, mischievous grins upon their faces. Haruhi eyes them suspiciously "Well, yeah... Is there something you guys aren't telling me?"

"Isn't it obvious? Clearly it was all fake." Yasuchika says "You're a commoner; you're entertaining to the rich. What better way to keep you around than to put you in debt to them?" Haruhi glares daggers at the twins and they avert their eyes from her, feigning ignorance to what Chika just said.

"So, we're free to go whenever we want to?" Kazuo says as he approaches Masahiro and wraps an arm around his shoulders. Masahiro glares sideways at him "Not like I was holding you hostage." Laughing out loud, Kazuo gives him a noogie "I was just joking. Lighten up already." With a roll of his eyes, Masahiro pulls away from him and straightens up his uniform.

"Well then, looks like it's time to go." Kazuo shouts, turning to look at Ryoichi "I'm ready to go tp some houses."

"But, candy-" Ryoichi grunts, patting Kazuo on the head.

A mischievous grin appears on Kazuo's face "Not like we can't tp houses and get candy."

Ryoichi rubs his chin "I guess you're right."

"Of course I'm right!" Kazuo says, throwing open the door "Let's get going." He catches Haruhi's eye and waves at her "Have a great night, Haruhi. See you next week."

Haruhi returns the wave "See you later."

Kazuo lets out a werewolf howl as he exits the music room with Ryoichi in tow. Masahiro rolls his eyes as he follows them out into the hallway, reprimanding Kazuo for his behavior.

Yasuchika comes to a stop beside Haruhi "If you're going to stay in the Host Club, let's try to implement animals soon." Haruhi smiles at him, nodding in acknowledgement. "We're off, now. See you guys at the party." Satoshi says. Bidding the trio goodbye, the two of them exit the music room.

"So, you ready for the party?" Hikaru says as he and Kaoru approach Haruhi. "As ready as I can be." Haruhi says as she straightens out her dress "Just as long as you're not going to try to force me to wear some dumb costume."

"Welp, there go our plans." Kaoru says, smirking as she shoots a glare their way.

"I guess we're ready to go, then?" Hikaru says as he makes his way towards the door. Kaoru offers Haruhi his arm. She shoots him a look of irritation and his arm droops to his side as they head after Hikaru "You may not be dressing up, but we still have costumes to put on. So, we have to stop by your place, first."

"Do you have to? It's not like you can't just go dressed as you are." Haruhi mumbles.

"Are you saying you'd prefer us to change in the limo, Haruhi?" Kaoru says with a wink.

Haruhi's face turns bright red and she quickly looks away "Alright, fine. We'll go to my place."

Hikaru chuckles as he opens the door and they head out together, slamming the door shut behind them.

The limo races through town, heading towards Haruhi's place; numerous buildings decorated for Halloween.

"We should try tp-ing houses sometime." Kaoru says, grinning over at Hikaru. "Sounds like fun. Maybe we should tp Tono's place?" Hikaru smirks.

"You'll do no such thing." Haruhi glares at the both of them, wiping the smiles off their faces.

As if they had practically teleported from school, the limo comes to a stop outside of Haruhi's apartment complex. The three of them grab their things and head up towards the apartment.

"One of you can use the bathroom and the other can use my dad's bedroom." Haruhi says, shutting the door behind them as they step into her living room.

"I call dibs on the bathroom." Hikaru says quickly, as he heads towards the small bathroom. He opens the door and blinks in shock "Wow! It's so small." Haruhi rolls her eyes as she watches him close the door behind him.

"Fine. Just more room for me to get dressed." Kaoru shrugs, opening the door to Ranka's room.

"Please try not to make a mess, alright?" Haruhi calls after them as she makes her way to her room to dress into something more formal.

Hikaru slowly undoes the buttons to his coat, staring around at all the items lying around in the bathroom. He pokes at some bottles upon the sink, wondering which of the products is Haruhi's. The smell of strawberries reaches his nose and he realizes it's what Haruhi usually smells like coming from a small pink bottle by his hand. His cheeks slightly redden as he grabs for the bottle of shampoo and inhales the scent, pretending Haruhi is close to him.

Kaoru looks around at all the wigs and women's clothing strewn around the room and smirks as he sets his bag down upon the floor. Ranka has an interesting taste in fashion, something he wished Haruhi would be interested in so they could use her as a model. Completely forgetting to shut the door, he begins stripping off his clothing. He spots a pretty pink dress sticking out of the wardrobe nearby and sighs, wondering what Haruhi would look like in it.

"I don't think I've ever really looked at my clothing." Haruhi mumbles as she sifts through the multiple clothes hanging in her closet. Her fingers skim over a multitude of dresses and other form-fitting clothing made for her by Hikaru and Kaoru. When had she gotten so many clothes from them? She truly didn't realize that they had gifted her so many outfits; the majority of which she had never worn. She frowns as she examines the different clothing, feeling guilty about the fact that they worked hard to make her them only to have her not even bother trying to wear them. Guess it's better late than never to start wearing them.

Spying a red and green dress that isn't too formal for a Halloween party, she pulls it out of the closet and tosses it onto her bed, her fingers quickly unbuttoning her uniform. Within moments she has her uniform off and is slipping into the dress, wondering when they had gifted her it. The color scheme is more along the lines of Christmas colors, so maybe they had given it to her around then?

"It's a little snug, but it'll do." She says, staring at herself in the mirror upon her wall. Her body had changed these past two years, but she never really paid any attention to it. Looking at herself now, she realizes that she looks a lot more feminine than she had before. She groans as she thinks of the twins trying to get her to model their clothes for them, again. Shaking away the thought, she runs her fingers through her hair, quickly situating herself before heading out of the room.

Adjusting her dress as she goes, Haruhi makes her way into the hallway to wait for the twins to get dressed. Movement to her left catches her eye and she turns to see the door to Ranka's bedroom is wide open. Kaoru stands in the middle of the room in nothing but his boxers. A blush creeps into her cheeks as her eyes involuntarily scan his slightly muscular body. She's seen his body several times thanks to her time in the Host Club, but this time it feels different.

He grabs some red jeans out of his backpack and begins to step into them, the fabric slowly sliding up his toned legs. All he's doing is getting dressed, so why is she so curious? They've changed into costumes in front of each other before without any problems. Maybe its the private setting? Unable to look away, she continues watching as his fingers fiddle with the zipper.

Her hands grip at the hem of her dress and she swallows a nervous knot. As he buttons his pants, he goes to grab out his shirt and spies her watching him. They stare at each other quietly, the tension between them growing thick. Haruhi opens her mouth to make an excuse, only to have him speak first. "Like what you see, Haruhi?" He says, flashing her a teasing smile.

A squeak escapes her and she panics at having been caught, dropping her cat ears on the floor as she rushes down the hall. Completely embarrassed about being caught, her legs give out like they're made of jelly the moment she reaches her kotatsu.

Staring down at her lap, Haruhi fiddles her thumbs as she tries to shake the image of Kaoru from her mind. "He's my friend. I'm not supposed to be having thoughts like this. What's wrong with me?!" She mumbles under her breath, adjusting and readjusting her dress like crazy.

The door to the bathroom slides open and Hikaru steps out wearing red skinny jeans, a red tank top and a red cape that compliment his horns. Haruhi looks up at him and feels her cheeks warm up as an image of Kaoru's body flashes in her mind. Her thoughts turn to wondering if he looks similar or different from his brother and she quickly shakes away the thought.

"Nice... costume." Haruhi stutters, unable to look him in the eye.

"Thanks." He says, feeling his face heat up "Where are your ears at?"

Haruhi reaches up and pats her head, shrugging in hopes that he'll change the subject "I seem to have dropped them somewhere."

Frowning, Hikaru takes a seat across from her to wait for Kaoru to get done "That's too bad, I liked them on you." They both blush and stare down at their laps, too nervous to look at one another. "Maybe I left them in my room." Haruhi says, hoping to make an escape.

Hikaru pulls out a handful of candy and sets it upon the kotatsu "Have some candy, Haruhi. You're looking a little pale. Is everything okay?" He grabs a caramel and unwraps it, popping it into his mouth.

"Found your ears, Haruhi." Kaoru says, appearing in the doorway of Ranka's bedroom. He bends down and picks the ears up before making his way over to join them "Can't have you going to a Halloween party without a costume." Haruhi blushes as he takes a stand beside her.

Sitting down, he places the headband upon her head and grins "There's my little raccoon."

Grabbing a piece of licorice off of the table, Haruhi sets it between her lips in an attempt to distract her from her thoughts "I'm not a raccoon."

"Are, too." Kaoru says, bending forward and biting off the licorice dangling out of her mouth, his lips gently grazing hers as he does so. Her blush darkens and he chuckles as he pulls away from her.

Hikaru rolls his eyes as he stands up before them "I'm gonna head out to the limo. You two can stay here and violate each other. I'd rather not watch."

Kaoru frowns and looks up at his brother "Come on, Hika, I thought we agreed to share her?"

"Only because we'd lose her to Tono if we didn't." Hikaru grumbles "You know how I feel about her, Kaoru."

"And, you know how I feel, Hikaru. What's your point?" Kaoru says, glaring up at his brother.

"Would you both quit arguing?" Haruhi says sternly, standing up beside Hikaru "I should never have said 'yes' to letting you both take me to the party. I knew it wouldn't be fair and I was right." Hikaru and Kaoru turn towards her with frowns upon their faces.

"Does this mean you're not going to go with us?" Hikaru says dejectedly.

"We're sorry for arguing, Haruhi." Kaoru sighs, standing up beside her.

Haruhi shakes her head "I'm not even sure I want to go, now. Why do you both always wind up arguing whenever we're together?"

"We don't always argue." Kaoru says, placing his hands upon her shoulders "What're you talking about?"

"You guys didn't do this when I was dating Tamaki, so why start now?" Haruhi asks them, shaking off Kaoru's hands.

"Because we knew we had no chance of being with you." Kaoru mumbles "Better to be your friend than not know you at all."

"But, you're not with him, now." Hikaru says quietly.

Haruhi turns to look at Hikaru "You think that that means I'm just going to choose one of you, then? I'm afraid that's not how it works."

"Yeah, well, excuse us for trying." Hikaru snaps. He crosses his arms over his chest and averts his eyes towards the door.

Kaoru frowns at his brother before turning back to Haruhi "It appears that we've overstepped ourselves. Would you like us to leave?"

Letting out a sigh of irritation, Haruhi shakes her head 'no'.

"Well, what do you want, then?" Hikaru says, glaring over at her.

"I just want us to go to the party and have a good time." Haruhi says quietly, growing uncomfortable under his glare.

A small smile graces Kaoru's mouth and he grabs her into a hug "So, you'll let us take you to the party?" Blushing, Haruhi nods her head 'yes'.

Hikaru lets out a sigh of defeat and walks over to join them, standing behind Haruhi and wrapping his arms around her waist. He lays his head down on top of hers and sighs "We'll back off if you want us to."

Haruhi frowns and looks up at him "I never said you guys had to back off, Hika. I just want you guys to know I'm not ready to make any decisions, yet."

"You're not mad at us, then?" He says, hugging her tightly.

"No. Just quit arguing, alright?" Haruhi says, becoming slightly nervous as they hug her between them.

"You know, you look really good in this dress, Haruhi." Kaoru says, smiling down at her in an attempt to clear the air.

"Thanks." Haruhi mumbles, looking down at herself.

"Guess we should get going before we're late, huh?" Hikaru says, messing up Haruhi's hair before pulling away from her and heading to the door.

"Good idea." Haruhi says, following after him with Kaoru in tow.


	10. Calm Before the Storm

The Hitachiin limo comes to a stop outside of the Haninozuka estates, one of many limos parked out front. Staring out the window, Haruhi takes in the decor and size of the mansion and shakes her head. Having never seen Honey's mansion before, she finds herself in awe over how huge it is.

"Yay! Hika-chan and Kao-chan are here!" Honey squeals happily as he and Reiko approach the Hitachiin limo. Honey, dressed as the Mad Hatter, holds down his tall hat as he bounces towards the limo. Reiko, dressed as Alice, creeps after him.

Opening the door, Haruhi pops out and smiles as she spies Honey and Reiko standing before her. With a squeak of delight, Honey throws his arms around her waist and hugs her tightly "I'm so happy you could come, Haru-chan."

"Hey, Honey-Senpai. Thanks for inviting me." Haruhi chuckles as she looks down at him.

"You're such a cute kitty, Haru-chan." Honey says, pulling away from her so he can return to Reiko's side.

"Finally someone notices that I'm a cat." Haruhi says, glaring over her shoulder "Hikaru and Kaoru keep calling me a raccoon."

"That's because you're our little raccoon." Kaoru says, climbing out of the limo behind her.

"They're still cat ears." Reiko mumbles, causing Haruhi to chuckle to herself. Kaoru flashes her a mischievous grin as he steps aside to let Hikaru climb out.

"I love your costume, Kao-chan." Honey says, watching as Hikaru adjusts his costume "Yours too, Hika-chan."

"They suit us perfectly, don't you think?" Hikaru says, running a hand through his hair as he stares over at Haruhi.

Honey notices this and turns towards Haruhi "I see Hika-chan and Kao-chan are your dates for the night. I'm so happy for you guys!" The twins feel their faces heat up; Haruhi taking a few steps away from them to signal that Honey is wrong.

"It's not what it looks like." Haruhi stutters, too nervous to look at her friends "We're not together, if that's what you think. We just came to the party together, that's all."

Frowns make their way upon Hikaru and Kaoru's faces, saddened by her denial of being their date.

Observing the gloomy looks upon their faces, Honey quickly grabs the twins by the hands and begins pulling them towards his family's dojo "Let's go have some fun! The party just started."He gives Reiko a nod as he walks past her and Haruhi, trying to prevent the trio from making a scene.

"Those boys seem to be stealing your soul." Reiko says, reaching up to play with Haruhi's cat ears.

Haruhi feels her face heat up and she looks away from Reiko "I don't know what you're talking about, Senpai."

Hikaru sighs and lets Honey lead the way, a heaviness growing in his heart as he looks over his shoulder at Haruhi. An equally gloomy look mixed with a tinge of pink graces Haruhi's face as she stands before Reiko.

"They love you and you love them." Reiko says, watching as Haruhi looks towards the retreating boys. Haruhi's eyes meet Hikaru's and she flashes him a small smile, feeling her heart ache as he turns away from her. "Do I really love them?" She mumbles quietly, grasping at her dress "All I've ever thought of them as is friends."

Kaoru entwines his fingers with Honey's hand, gripping his hand for support as they head towards the dojo. He turns towards Hikaru and flashes him a pained smile, wrapping his arm around his shoulder.

"Well, they are my friends. So, I guess I do love them." Haruhi says, turning back towards Reiko. "Not like that, silly." Reiko says, winking at her. Haruhi frowns in confusion, staring at the backs of her friends.

"Just go to the party and have fun with them, okay?" Reiko says, hooking her arm with Haruhi's "Whether you're with them or not, you did come to the party with them." Haruhi nods her head in understanding. "I do want to go to the party and have a good time." She says to herself, watching her friends walk away.

"I should've known it was too good to be true." Hikaru sighs, wrapping his arm around Kaoru's shoulder "No matter what we do, she's just going to wind up going back to Tamaki."

They reach the stairs to the dojo entrance and come to a stop. Honey takes a stand before them and glares down at them "Haru-chan is clearly embarrassed and confused. I doubt she denied being your date because she wants to go back to Tamaki."

"Well, why else would she deny it?" Hikaru mumbles, crossing his arms against his chest. A smile appears on Honey's face as he looks behind his two identical friends.

"Because she loves you guys, but doesn't want to admit it." Reiko says, pushing her way between the twins and taking a stand by Honey. Honey grabs her hand and smiles up at her, enjoying their game of matchmaking.

"We're going to head inside. See you at the snack bar." Honey says, winking at the twins as he and Reiko disappear through the entrance.

Hikaru and Kaoru turn around and spot Haruhi standing behind them, her face slightly flustered. They stare down at her and smile sweetly, blushing as she flashes them her signature smile.

"Let's go have a good time, guys." She says happily, staring up at her two best friends.

"Does this mean we're still your dates?" Kaoru asks her quietly, preparing himself for more rejection. Hikaru chews on his lip as he looks down at her, awaiting her answer.

Swallowing back a nervous knot, Haruhi nods her head 'yes'. Squeals of happiness escape Hikaru and Kaoru and they grab her into a hug, squeezing her tightly between them.

Pressing kisses to her head, they make their way into the party together.

"Yes, I'm aware you don't like it. But, I don't care. Fix it!" Kyoya says sternly into his phone, slamming it shut. He adjusts his tuxedo as he looks out at all the guests dancing on the dance floor. He'd much rather be at work right now, but he just couldn't say no to Tamaki who had begged him to come so he wouldn't be alone while facing Haruhi and the twins.

"These stuffed mushrooms are delicious." Tamaki says, shoving one in his mouth and grabbing another. "You'll give yourself a stomach ache with the way you're eating." Kyoya says as he punches in some numbers on his phone, an amused smile on his face as he watches Tamaki gobble down appetizers. "I can't help it," Tamaki says in-between bites "I'm worried about how I'm going to act tonight around Haruhi." Rolling his eyes, Yasuchika hands him a napkin to wipe off the juice on his chin right as Haruhi and the twins arrive at the snack bar.

"I see you've made up." Honey says with a playful smirk, causing the trio to blush. He turns to the snack bar and starts sampling a multitude of candies as he cuddles into Reiko.

"Yo, guys, nice costumes!" Satoshi says in between shoveling chips in his mouth. "Thanks. I like your vampire costume. Nicely done." Haruhi says, sampling a cheese appetizer. He smirks at her, flashing his fake fangs.

Tamaki finally notices the trio's arrival and chuckles nervously, setting his food down on the table as he makes his way over to them. He takes notice of Haruhi's dress, blown away by how pretty she looks.

"Haruhi! I'm so glad you made it." He says, yanking her away from the twins and grabbing her into a hug.

"It's nice to see you again, Senpai." Haruhi says, gently pulling away from him.

With a nod of his head, Tamaki acknowledges Hikaru and Kaoru "And, here are the little devils."

"Hey boss, nice costume." Hikaru says, taking in Tamaki's face-paint and dog ears.

"Never thought I'd actually see you turn into a dog." Kaoru chuckles "Now your puppy eyes are more believable."

Tamaki bats his eyelashes at them playfully, flashing them his famous puppy-dog eyes. The two boys return the look with sly grins, watching as Tamaki turns his attention back to Haruhi.

Clearing his throat, he stares down at her "You look really pretty today, Haruhi. Where did you get that dress?"

Haruhi nods at the twins with her head "I think they gave it to me back in Christmas." Tamaki forces a smile "They sure do know how to make nice clothes, huh?" Haruhi nods her head in agreement.

Both of them stare at each other for a few moments, nodding their heads and smirking in silence as they try to come up with a conversation. Hikaru and Kaoru glare at them as they stand there, trying their best not to be so jealous.

"Heya, bro!" Satoshi shouts out happily, breaking the silence. Dressed as the grim reaper, Mori shows up at the snack bar and nods at his little brother.

He takes a stand beside the twins, watching Haruhi and Tamaki stand together in awkward silence. Looking down at the twins, he frowns as he notices the irritation upon their faces.

Placing a hand upon Hikaru's head, he smiles down at him. Hikaru looks up at him in confusion.

"Ask her to dance." Mori grunts, nodding his head towards Haruhi.

"She's currently preoccupied with Tono if you haven't noticed." Hikaru grumbles, trying not to look at Haruhi "Probably doesn't want me to interrupt her."

Mori turns towards Kaoru and pats him on the shoulder "You go dance with her, then."

"You think she'd agree?" Kaoru says, frowning as he looks towards his two friends.

"I don't see why she wouldn't dance with you." Mori says, pushing him towards Haruhi and Tamaki.

Kaoru takes a deep breath and nods his head at Mori before heading over to the two ex-lovers and taking a stand beside them. They turn to face him, wondering what he has to say.

His heart beats nervously in his chest and he takes another deep breath. "Haruhi, would you... dance with me?" He mumbles, bowing before her. A blush crawls into Haruhi's cheeks and she chuckles as he straightens himself out.

Tamaki watches a smile spread upon her face. Turning towards Kaoru, Haruhi bows her head at him "I would love to dance with you, Kaoru."

Smiling brightly, Kaoru offers her his hand and she grips it tightly as he leads her to the dance floor.

Hikaru and Tamaki stand around the snack bar, moping as they munch on food and try to forget about Haruhi being with Kaoru.

"Ask her to dance next." Mori grunts from his place between them "It's not like she can't dance with both of you."

Tamaki shoves a mushroom into his mouth and eyes Hikaru out of the corner of his eye, taking note of the gloomy look upon his face.

"Cheer up, Hikaru." He says, smiling sideways at him "Haruhi hasn't made a decision. She's just dancing with him."

Hikaru looks sideways at him and nods "That is true, huh?"

Kaoru spins Haruhi around as they move to the music, a slight blush on both of their cheeks. Returning from the spin, Haruhi clasps hands with him and smiles up at him.

"Hey, Haruhi, sorry for all the arguing today." He says, moving a hand to her hip.

A slight tingle runs down her spine at his touch "Don't worry about it anymore, okay?" She flashes him a comforting smile and his blush deepens.

The music picks up speed and they change their pace, Haruhi laughing as he grips both of her hips in order for them to dance faster.

"Would it be crossing the line if I asked you to go on a date with me sometime?" Kaoru says, moving them through the crowd.

Haruhi nervously bites her lip as she looks up at him, his eyes sparkling as he quietly waits for an answer. They pass Honey and Reiko as they move into the center of the dance floor. Kaoru looks down at her as they weave in and out of different couples. The light in his eyes begins to die down as Haruhi refuses to give him an answer. She had promised herself not to let love get in the way of life this time. In fact, she had told both twins that, too. So, him asking her on a date has put her in a rough position.

The song slowly approaches its end as they stare at one another quietly. She contemplates what she should tell him, feeling his hands grip her tightly as he fights back emotions. She doesn't want to hurt him, but at the same time she doesn't want to break her promise to herself and rush things.

A look of disappointment makes its way onto Kaoru's face and he sighs "Forget I asked. Sorry, Haruhi." His response breaking her out of her thoughts.

Feeling guilty, Haruhi reaches a hand up to his face and rests it on his cheek. "What if I said maybe?" She says quietly, staring deep into his eyes.

They come to a stop and Kaoru reaches up to grab her hand. "At least it's not a no." He says, giving her a pained smile.

A new song begins and Haruhi notices the change in music. Grabbing him by the hand, she starts to head towards the snack bar "Let's go visit the others."

"Hey, Haruhi, hold on for a moment." He says, yanking her arm and bringing her towards him. She stares up at him with confusion as he wraps his arms around her waist and pulls her towards him.

"Is everything okay, Kaoru?" She mumbles against his chest, feeling her heart flutter.

"I just wanted a few more moments with you before I have to share you." He says quietly, looking down at the small girl in his arms.

Haruhi frowns and looks up at him, noticing the sadness in his eyes "It's not like you don't get to see me much, you know." His heart constricts with a mix of joy and sadness as he presses her against him and hugs her tightly. Haruhi wraps her arms around him, hoping to make him feel better.

Moments later, they pull away from each other. Kaoru grabs her hands in his and sighs "Guess we should head back, huh?"

Tamaki and Hikaru smile as they spot them returning, setting their food down upon the table and approaching them.

"Hey, Haruhi, would you dance with me?!" They both say in sync, glaring at each other as they finish their sentences. Haruhi blinks at them in surprise, taken aback by their forcefulness.

Honey appears between them and chuckles "Let's go bob for apples, guys!"

"What's that?" Hikaru says, glaring down at his tiny friend.

"Only one of the coolest commoner games ever." Honey says, pulling Hikaru and Tamaki by the arms "You love kick the can, so I know you'll love this game, too."

"I'll try it, then." Tamaki says as they approach a giant bucket of apples and water beside the snack bar. He blinks at the bucket in confusion and tilts his head to the side "How do you play?"

"It's simple. Just bend over the bucket and try to catch an apple with your mouth. You can't use your hands." Honey says with a smirk "Who wants to go first?"

Kaoru comes up and wraps an arm around his brother's shoulder "We'll go first." Hikaru looks sideways at him as he flashes him a playful smirk. With a nod of their heads, they approach the bucket and sit down on their knees.

"Ready, Hika?" Kaoru says, smiling sideways at his brother.

"Ready, Kaoru!" Hikaru says, turning his attention to the bucket.

Both of them duck their faces into the water at the same time, capturing apples in their mouths within mere seconds. They pull up their completely dry faces and drop their apples into their hands. Haruhi watches them stand up together, laughing at the goofy grins on their faces.

Light applause surrounds them and they bow at the others, winking at Haruhi as they approach her.

"So, what didja think, Har-u-hi?" They say in sync, taking big bites from their apples.

"You guys were awesome." She says, smiling up at them "Made it look way too easy."

"What can we say-" Hikaru says with a smirk.

"We're good with our mouths." Kaoru finishes his brother's sentence, flashing her a suggestive wink.

Haruhi feels her face heat up and she quickly averts her eyes. The twins chuckle at her embarrassment, turning their attention to Honey as he approaches them.

"Great job, guys!" He says happily, before looking around at the others "Who wants to go next?"

"Don't look at me. I'd rather not make a buffoon of myself." Yasuchika says, glaring daggers at his brother.

Tamaki grabs Haruhi by the arm and starts to pull her towards the bucket "We'll go next, then."

Haruhi frowns at him and tries to pull away "I don't want to get wet, Senpai."

"You totally fit your costume, Haruhi." Honey chuckles as he approaches them, making the twins nod with agreement.

"But, Haruhi..." Tamaki whines, batting his puppy dog eyes at her as he clings to her arm.

Turning to Tamaki, Honey grabs him by the arm and pulls him towards the bucket "I'll go with you, Tama-chan."

Hikaru and Kaoru watch as Tamaki squats before the bucket. "Good luck, Boss!" They giggle as he turns to glare at them.

"Mark my words; I will totally beat you guys at bobbing for apples!" He says, pointing a finger at them before turning back to the bucket. Hikaru and Kaoru smirk as they watch him and Honey dip their faces into the water.

After a few moments, Honey manages to trap an apple between the wall and his mouth and grabs it out quickly.

"Look, Reiko, I did it!" He squeals happily as he grabs the apple out of his mouth and stands up. Smiling up at Reiko, he giggles as she kisses his forehead. They turn their attention back to Tamaki, watching him struggle to capture an apple.

Tamaki frowns and ducks his head into the water, fighting with an apple at the bottom of the bucket. Water splashes out all over him as he tries his best to grab the apple with his teeth, only to have it slip away from him. Behind him Kyoya lets out a quiet snort of amusement, sneaking a picture of him with his phone.

"Looks like he's having trouble." Kaoru says, taking a bite out of his apple.

Haruhi watches him struggle and frowns, feeling bad about not going with him.

Kyoya bows down beside him "You might want to give up, Tamaki. You're making a mess all over the floor."

Tamaki glares up at him "I refuse to give up!" He wiggles his head in the bucket like a dog, wrestling with the apple against the wall of the bucket. Hikaru and Kaoru snicker under their breath, watching him splash most of the water onto the floor.

"He really is a dog." Hikaru laughs, watching as Tamaki finally catches the apple in his mouth and pulls his head out of the water.

"I did it!" He says happily, wiggling the hair out of his eyes and splashing water around as he stands up.

"Good job, Senpai." Haruhi says, blinking in confusion as he approaches her and drops the apple in her hands. Hikaru and Kaoru slap their sides, laughing harder as his dog ears droop down on his head.

Tamaki sends glares their way, frowning as Satoshi and the others join in laughing at him. Haruhi pats him on the head "Thank you for the apple." His face lights up and he smiles happily, placing a kiss upon her forehead. Hikaru and Kaoru stop laughing, eyeing him as he nervously scratches his head.

Haruhi stares down at the apple in her hand and smirks, embarrassed by Tamaki. Hikaru and Kaoru stand together, watching Haruhi stand before Tamaki with a blush to her cheeks.

"Ask her to dance." Kaoru hisses quietly, elbowing Hikaru in the side.

Hikaru frowns "I'm not sure she'd want to dance, right now. I'd just be stepping in the way of her and Tono. You know I can't do that."

Kaoru glares at him "Did you forget what Reiko said or do you honestly not care about finally having a chance to go after her?"

"What the hell, Kaoru? You know I like her." Hikaru snaps, glaring back at his brother.

"Well, if you did, you'd be over there asking her to dance." Kaoru says, taking a few steps towards Haruhi "Like I told you before, if you're going to love her so halfheartedly, then you don't deserve her. I'm going to go ask her to dance, again."

Hikaru watches his brother retreat and panics, rushing over to where Haruhi stands with Tamaki.

Tamaki turns towards him and smirks "Hey, Hika, how's it going?"

Ignoring Tamaki's question, he grabs Haruhi by the shoulder and turns her to face him. Haruhi looks up from her apple and blushes, smiling at him as he stares in her eyes.

"What's wrong, Hika?" She says, watching a blush creep into his cheeks.

"Dance with me, Haruhi. Please?" He says quietly, trying not to appear too timid. Haruhi swallows back a nervous knot and tries to speak, only to be cut off as Hikaru shoves his mouth against hers. Feeling her heart flutter in her chest, Haruhi gently relaxes into the kiss.

Tamaki watches them kiss and frowns, feeling a hand upon his shoulder. He looks sideways to see Kyoya. "Now would be a good time to go dry yourself off." He says, handing him a towel. "There's a dryer you can use in the guest bathroom just in the next room over." Honey explains, yanking on his arm. Taking the hint, Tamaki grips the towel and heads out of the dance hall to go dry himself off and give himself some time away from them.

Hikaru smiles against Haruhi's mouth and gently pulls away "So, is that a yes?"

"O-of course, Hika." Haruhi stutters, a shy smile upon her lips. She hands her apple off to Kaoru who looks down at it and frowns, trying to hide the sad look upon his face.

Offering her his hand, Hikaru grins as they run onto the dance floor together. Kaoru feels slightly jealous as they retreat, throwing the apple in the nearby trash can.

"You okay, Kao-chan?" Honey says as he and Reiko approach him.

"I'm just worried, that's all." Kaoru says, staring at all the people on the dance floor.

"About Haruhi?" Reiko says, eyeing him curiously.

Kaoru nods his head "I'm happy that she has feelings for us, but I just don't want to chance almost losing Hikaru, again."

"You didn't lose him the first time, Kao-chan. You guys are stronger than this." Honey says, smiling up at him.

"But, we actually have a chance with Haruhi and we don't want to share her." Kaoru frowns "What're we supposed to do?"

"Just take things slowly and see what happens. I have faith in you guys." Honey says "I'm sure everything will work out fine." Kaoru smiles down at him, feeling a little bit better.

Hikaru and Haruhi blush as they swing each other around. They weave their way through the multiple dancing couples, enjoying the music.

Trying his best not to appear too nervous, Hikaru smiles down at her as they do a turn "Hey, Haruhi, are you enjoying the party?" She feels his hands grip hers a little tighter and she stares up at him, noticing how tense he looks.

"I'm having a lot of fun, Hika." She squeaks as he bows her down and pulls her back up.

"I'm happy to hear it." He says, biting his lip before continuing on "Do you think we could hang out again after this?"

Haruhi feels her face burn "Are you asking me out on a date, Hika?" He averts his eyes to the side, nodding his head 'yes'.

Feeling herself choke up, Haruhi gives him a painful smile as they dance their way through the crowd. First Kaoru asks her out and now Hikaru. Like before, she's torn between wanting to take things easy and wanting to make her friends happy.

Hikaru stares deep into her eyes, a frown forming on his lips as she remains silent. She stares back at him, unsure of what she should say. A part of her wants to take a chance and see what dating the twins would be like. However, she barely just broke up with Tamaki and hasn't even had a chance to come to terms with everything. This whole love and relationship thing is just too complicated and she can't help but feel like things are going too fast.

"I'm going to take that as a no." He mumbles, a heaviness growing in his chest.

"It's not a no, Hika." Haruhi says quietly, looking up into his glossy eyes.

"Then what is it, Haruhi?" Hikaru sighs, slowing their pace as they reach the center of the dance floor.

Haruhi looks away "It's more like a maybe."

A scowl crosses Hikaru's face "Of course it is. You'll never give me a chance, will you?"

"Don't be like that, Hika. I said 'yes' to being your date tonight, didn't I?" Haruhi says, hoping he'll calm down.

"Only because we practically forced you to." Hikaru rolls his eyes "Yet, for some reason, you say 'yes' to Tamaki almost instantly."

"I said 'no' to him today. That counts for something right?" Haruhi barks, beginning to grow frustrated with him.

"You asked him out this morning, so that doesn't count." Hikaru snaps "I just know you're going to say 'yes' to dancing with him once we're done, so what's your point?" He comes to a stop and pulls away from her.

Haruhi folds her arms in front of her and frowns Why are you being so mean, Hika?"

"Because I'm tired of being second best to Tamaki. I just wish you would look at me for once and give me a chance." Hikaru says quietly, refusing to look at her "I'm such a fool for thinking that things would be different the second time around."

Tearing up, Haruhi takes a step towards him "That's not true and you know it."

"Just go dance with Tamaki, okay, Haruhi?" Hikaru says, walking towards the snack bar and leaving her behind. Haruhi stares after him, feeling her heart ache as she stands there alone on the dance floor.

Kaoru notices Hikaru coming towards him and frowns "Why aren't you guys dancing? What's going on?" "I don't want to talk about it." Hikaru barks, walking past him and approaching Tamaki who sits at a table near the snack bar.

Tamaki swallows his bite of cake and smiles up at him "Hey, Hikaru, what's up?"

Hikaru glares down at him "Go dance with Haruhi. I don't know why she said 'yes' to being our date when all she wants to do is be with you."

A frown graces Tamaki's mouth "Did something happen between you guys? Where is she?"

Haruhi appears behind them, glaring daggers at Hikaru. "Apparently Hikaru thinks he knows how I feel." She barks, her arms crossed tightly against her chest.

"Yeah, well, you practically ooze love for Tamaki." Hikaru says, rolling his eyes "Why'd you even break up with him if you were just going to be all over him?"

Kaoru places a hand upon Hikaru's shoulder "Stop arguing, Hikaru. You're acting like a spoiled brat right now."

Tamaki looks back and forth at them and stands up in front of them "Perhaps we should go outside and talk about this."

"There's nothing to say." Hikaru mumbles, glaring at Haruhi out of the corner of his eye.

"Would you dance with me, Tamaki?" Haruhi says, ignoring Hikaru's angry glares.

Tamaki scratches his head nervously "Of course, Haruhi." She holds out a hand and he grabs it gently, following after her onto the dance floor.

Hikaru takes a seat at the table, laying his head down upon his arms.

"You okay, Hika?" Kaoru says, taking a seat beside him "Looks like the old you is back."

"I asked her out on a date." Hikaru mumbles, staring at the crowd before them "She said no, of course."

Kaoru frowns "And, you snapped at her because you think she's choosing Tamaki?"

"I couldn't help it, Kaoru. Why does she say 'yes' to Tono and never to us?" Hikaru sighs, putting his face in his arms.

"She said 'yes' to us tonight, didn't she?" Kaoru says, wrapping an arm around Hikaru's shoulders in an attempt to cheer him up.

"Not because she wanted to." Hikaru sighs, wiping the smile off Kaoru's face.

Looking over at the dance floor, Kaoru watches as Haruhi and Tamaki dance together slowly. His heart grows heavy as they stare at one another, trying to fight off the feeling that Haruhi only agreed to go with them because she feels sorry for them. He lets out a little sigh and rests his head on his hand.

Haruhi swallows a nervous knot as she stares up at Tamaki, pangs of guilt making her heart ache as they dance together. Try as she might to enjoy herself during this party, she just can't seem to stop messing things up.

"Are you okay, Haruhi?" Tamaki says, staring down into her brown eyes.

Nodding her head 'yes', Haruhi grips his hands tighter as they weave around the dance floor.

Tamaki notices the sadness in her eyes and pulls her closer to him as they dance. "You're upset over your fight with Hikaru, aren't you?" He says quietly, wrapping his arms around her waist and hugging her as they dance.

"I wish he hadn't gotten so mad at me." She says, returning the hug "I've been trying to be fair to everyone during this break up. It looks like I can't do anything right."

"Don't say that, Haruhi." Tamaki says, smiling gently at her "You haven't done anything wrong." Haruhi hugs him tightly as they waltz around the other couples, her face buried in his chest. She feels her chest grow heavy as images of Hikaru and Kaoru's sad faces flash briefly in her mind.

"If that were true, then why do I feel so guilty every time I hurt one of you guys." She mumbles, trying her best to choke back her emotions.

Tamaki frowns, rubbing her back as they dance together. "You're a good person, Haruhi. You care about others and that's why we love you." He says quietly, a slight blush creeping into his cheeks.

Pulling away from him, Haruhi looks up at him with glossy eyes, giving him a pained smile. "Thank you for being so understanding. I really appreciate not having to argue with you, too." Her hands squeeze at the fabric of his shirt as she thinks of all the fights she has had so far.

The music dies down and changes to a more quiet song. They slow their pace, holding each other as they dance in time with the music.

"I hope you know that I love you a lot, Haruhi." Tamaki says, caressing her cheek gently "I've got your back no matter what you decide to do."

Tears cloud Haruhi's eyes as she looks up at him "I know I can count on you, Senpai. I just wish you guys got along more. I can't stand it when you fight."

"Sorry, Haruhi. I guess it's just hard to get along with others who share the same feelings as you do for someone." Tamaki says, eyeing the twins from over her head. Kaoru lays on Hikaru's shoulder, staring back at him with a blank expression.

"We're friends first and foremost. Shouldn't that matter more?" Haruhi says, looking up at him.

"It does matter. I promise not to provoke them from now on." Tamaki says, smiling down at her "Although, with Hikaru and Kaoru, it's hard not to."

Haruhi nods her head, chuckling with agreement. He hugs her against him as they slowly dance together, glad to see her cheering up.

With shaky hands, Tamaki reaches down and lifts her chin to have her look up at him "Haruhi, you love Hikaru and Kaoru, don't you?"

Haruhi's face flushes and she quickly averts her eyes to the ground. "Why are you asking me this?" She mumbles, unable to look at him.

"You've been acting weird around them." He says, scratching his head nervously "I know you guys have always been close, but you seem to have gotten closer to them lately."

"Don't be silly, Tamaki. We're just friends." She says, sneaking a glance at Hikaru and Kaoru out of the corner of her eye. She frowns as she notices a grimace on Kaoru's face, worrying that she might be pushing her friends away.

Tamaki watches the change in her expression and places both hands upon her shoulders, stopping them from dancing. She turns her attention to him and fakes a smile, trying to ignore the feelings bubbling up inside of her.

"You know you don't have to lie to me, Haruhi." Tamaki says sternly, staring down into her eyes.

"I honestly don't know what I feel. People keep telling me I love them." Haruhi says quietly, swallowing back a nervous knot as she looks into his eyes "I really do like being with them. I just don't know if it's love."

Tamaki frowns at her revelation "It sounds like love to me, Haruhi." Haruhi intakes her breath and quickly closes her eyes, feeling her heart flutter wildly as she contemplates his words.

"Hika and Kao asked me to go on dates with them." She says quietly, chewing on her lip.

"You turned them down, huh? Is that why they're so upset?" Tamaki says, looking over at the twins. Haruhi nods her head 'yes', opening her eyes and turning her attention to her two friends. Kaoru stares back at her and smiles for just a brief moment, making her feel a little less guilty.

"You should say yes." Tamaki sighs, looking back down at her "You said you like to spend time with them, right?" Haruhi feels her guilt diminish and she looks up at him, shocked by what he just said.

"It wouldn't be fair to everyone." She says, twiddling her thumbs.

Tamaki chuckles and pats her shoulder "How isn't it fair? You and me already have a date planned. If you plan one with both of them, you will have given everyone a chance."

Haruhi flashes him a happy smile and throws her arms around him. He smiles and hugs her back, glad to have helped her. She looks up at him and reaches a hand up to wipe his bangs out of his face. "Thank you for your help, Tamaki." She says, her eyes sparkling as she stares up at him.

Caressing her cheek, Takaki bends down to kiss her gently upon the forehead, blushing as he pulls away. "I love you, Haruhi." He says quietly,"I'll always love you, no matter what decision you make."

Haruhi feels her heart beat rapidly as he grabs her hand and leads her through the crowd of dancers towards their identical friends.

"Let's go make up with Hikaru and Kaoru." He says, smiling at her as he pulls her behind him.

Kaoru spies Haruhi and Tamaki coming towards them and sits up, tapping Hikaru on the shoulder.

"It looks like they're coming to talk to us." He says, noticing the nervousness on Haruhi's face.

"Good for them." Hikaru mumbles into his arms "Probably coming to tell us they got back together... Not like I care."

Tamaki comes to a stop before Kaoru and turns to nod at Haruhi, pulling her towards the twins. "Haruhi has something she'd like to talk to you guys about." He says, kissing her upon the forehead "If you need me, I'll be over there with Kyoya and the others."

With a wave of his hand, he leaves the three of them alone. Haruhi watches him retreat, her face slightly flustered by his kiss.

"Looks like you guys had fun." Kaoru says, faking a smile.

Haruhi clears her throat "Hey, Hika, would you look at me?"

A groan of irritation issues forth from Hikaru "Why? So you can rub it into my face that you and Tamaki are back together? I'd rather not look at you right now."

"That's not it at all, Hika." She says, feeling her heart ache. Looking down at her feet, she contemplates whether to continue trying or to give up. Her hands clasp her dress for support as she stands there before them.

Kaoru notices her sadness and sighs "What's up, Haruhi?"

"I wanted to apologize." She mumbles, slowly looking up at him.

"For what? You haven't done anything wrong that I know of." Kaoru shrugs, leaning back in his chair.

"I'd love to go on dates with you both, if your offers still stand." She says, smiling hopefully.

Kaoru frowns "You know you don't have to force yourself to do things just to make us happy, right?"

"I'm not doing this because I feel guilty, if that's what you mean." Haruhi says, taking a step towards them "I really like you guys a lot. I'm just confused by all that's happened."

"So, what're you trying to say, Haruhi?" Kaoru says, staring up into her eyes.

"I want to spend more time with you guys." She says, feeling her face heat up.

A big smile spreads across Kaoru's face and he stands up, wrapping his arms around her. "I would love to go on a date with you, Haruhi." He says, kissing the top of her head.

Haruhi swallows back a nervous knot and looks up at him "Thank you, Kaoru." She turns her attention towards Hikaru and pokes him on the head "What do you say, Hika?"

"Why the sudden change in attitude?" Hikaru says, remaining in the same position "Did Tamaki force you to apologize to us?"

Haruhi frowns and pulls away from Kaoru, wrapping her arms around Hikaru and resting her head on his. "He didn't make me do anything. He just helped me realize that I'm not as happy as I normally am without you guys." She says quietly, listening to his quiet breathing as she waits for a response.

Sighing in defeat, Hikaru lifts his head and looks up at her "I guess I sorta feel the same way about you too, Haruhi."

Feeling giddy, Haruhi tightens her grip around Hikaru "Does this mean you'll go on a date with me, Hika?"

"Does this mean I actually have a chance?" He says, feeling hope bubble up inside of him.

"I haven't made any decisions about dating. But, I would really love to hang out with you, if you don't mind." She says, pulling away from him to look into his face.

A smile of pure joy lights up Hikaru's face and he grabs her into a hug, burying his face in her neck. "I never thought you'd ever give me a chance." He whispers, hugging her tightly. Haruhi feels her face heat up as he cuddles against her, his warm breath tickling her skin. "I'm glad that I am." She says, resting her head on top of his shoulder.

Kaoru smiles happily and wraps his arms around them both. "I'd say this turned out to be a great party." He says, resting his head on hers.

Haruhi looks up at him and smirks, glad to have made up with her friends.


End file.
